Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were restricted to 56/1 at the end of the powerplay by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), thanks to a disciplined bowling performance. Mohammed Shami and his fellow bowlers kept the KKR batters in check, preventing any early momentum.
LSG skipper Rishabh Pant won the toss and opted to bowl first, a decision that proved effective as his bowlers dominated the early stages of the innings. Mohammed Shami and Prince Yadav shared the new ball and delivered tight spells upfront.
Yadav provided the breakthrough by dismissing the dangerous Finn Allen, giving LSG an ideal start. In the middle overs of the powerplay, spinners Manimaran Siddharth and Digvesh Rathi maintained control, restricting KKR from scoring freely.
For KKR, captain Ajinkya Rahane looked in good touch, scoring 23 runs off 13 balls. However, Angkrish Raghuvanshi struggled to find rhythm, managing 20 runs from 15 deliveries.
KKR will aim to build a competitive total as they look to secure their first win of the season.
Speaking at the toss, Rahane revealed that he would have preferred to bowl as well and confirmed a change in the playing XI.
“We wanted to bowl. I was thinking about the previous game, which didn’t get completed, so you never know. Just one change — Sunil comes in place of Blessing, while Varun is still recovering from a hand injury,” Rahane said.
Meanwhile, LSG captain Rishabh Pant will be looking to register back-to-back wins after leading his team to victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their previous match.
Confirmed playing XI for both teams:
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane(c), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Navdeep Saini, Kartik Tyagi
Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, Manimaran Siddharth, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Prince Yadav
