"Better To Include A Fast Bowler Than Playing MS Dhoni": Harbhajan Singh

“Better To Include A Fast Bowler Than Playing MS Dhoni”: Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh slammed MS Dhoni’s decision to bat at No. 9 spot© BCCI/Sportzpics MS Dhoni batted at No. 9 for the first time in his T20 career but his decision ultimately backfired as he was dismissed for a golden duck during the IPL 2024 match against Punjab Kings on Sunday. Dhoni has assumed the role as a finisher for CSK this season and he mostly comes to bat with 1-2 overs to go in the matches. Against PBKS, he allowed both Mitchell Santner and Shardul Thakur to bat ahead of him before coming out in the 19th over. Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh was not impressed by the decision and he said that if Dhoni is going to bat at No. 9, CSK should add another pacer in their ranks instead. “MS Dhoni shouldn’t play if he wants to bat at the number 9 slot. It is better to include a fast bowler than him in the playing XI. He is the decision-maker and has let down his team by not coming out to bat.” “Shardul Thakur came ahead of him. Thakur can never hit shots like Dhoni and I don’t understand why Dhoni made this mistake. Nothing happens without his permission and I am not ready to accept that this decision to demote him was taken by someone else.” “CSK were in a need of quick runs and Dhoni has done that in the previous games. It was shocking that he stayed back in the important contest against Punjab Kings. Even if CSK win today, I will still call out Dhoni. Let people say anything. I will say what is right,” Harbhajan Singh said on Star Sports. Coming to the match, Chennai Super Kings rode an all-round show from Ravindra Jadeja to register a crucial victory over Punjab Kings. They are third in the IPL 2024 points table thanks to this win. “Everyone believed the wicket was slow. Even low bounce. Just that the start we got, we were thinking of pushing till 180-200. After losing wickets, thought 160-170 was a good score. Don’t know what he’s doing, but even in preseason he was clicking 150kph (on Simarjeet). He didn’t get too much chances, but it’s never too late. Were thinking of going with impact batter, but then we thought the batter will give 10-15 runs, but he could give 2-3 wickets. Some of the guys were struggling with flu. Weren’t even sure till the morning who’s playing or not. To get the win, really happy with that,” Ruturaj said after the match. Topics mentioned in this article

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"Couldn't Handle Pressure": After Defeat Against KKR, LSG Captain KL Rahul's Direct Blame

“Couldn’t Handle Pressure”: After Defeat Against KKR, LSG Captain KL Rahul’s Direct Blame

Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul didn’t hold back while talking about their shortcomings following their biggest defeat by runs in the Indian Premier League against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday. LSG were outplayed by the Knights in all facets of the game which led to a 98-run defeat and possibly putting their hopes of a spot in playoffs in jeopardy. Rahul’s decision to bowl after winning the toss backfired quickly as Sunil Narine went all guns blazing against the LSG bowling unit. The inexperienced ones succumbed to the pressure, leaked runs at a staggering rate and allowed KKR to set the platform for a mammoth total of 235/6. Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur and Yudhvir Singh combined for 98 runs in just eight overs. “It was a lot of runs to be scored in the second innings. When you are chasing a big total, you are trying to go too hard and you end up losing wickets. Just a poor performance overall. We didn’t (hit our lengths consistently), just had a poor performance overall with bat, ball and in the field. Sunil Narine and Phil Salt, in the powerplay, we’ve seen how they bat and they do put a lot of pressure on the opposition. Our young bowlers couldn’t handle that kind of pressure and he hit some really good shots,” Rahul said after the game. While LSG looked clueless against hard-hitting Narine, Rahul stated that they had plans to deal with KKR batters but got the execution part wrong. “We prepare well in advance and talk about the opposition batters, we know our conditions here and we do spend a little bit of time talking to the bowlers and talking to the batters trying to see what kind of plans we need to come up with. Once we come here, it’s about execution and we went wrong in that part. Bowlers tried their best but the young group really … the sooner you learn, the better it for the team,” Rahul added. Coming to the game, LSG opted to field first after winning the toss. Narine’s 81, combined with solid knocks from Phil Salt (32 in 14 balls, with five fours and a six), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (32 in 26 balls, with three fours and a six) and Ramandeep Singh (25* in six balls, with a four and three sixes) took KKR to 235/6 in their 20 overs. Naveen-ul-Haq (3/49) was the pick of the bowlers for LSG. Yash Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi and Yudhvir Singh got a wicket each. In a run chase of 236, Lucknow lost wickets at regular intervals. Marcus Stoinis (36 in 21 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and skipper KL Rahul (25 in 21 balls, with three fours) were the top scorers as LSG bundled out for 137 in 16.1 overs. Harshit Rana (3/24) and Varun Chakravarthy (3/30) were the top wicket-takers for KKR. Sunil Narine took home the ‘Player of the Match’ for his one wicket and 81-run knock. After the defeat, LSG dropped out from the Top-4 spot with a negative net run rate of 0.371. While KKR dethroned Rajasthan Royals to take the top spot with 16 points. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

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Amid Sunil Gavaskar Criticism, Wasim Akram's Striking Verdict On Virat Kohli's Scoring Rate

Amid Sunil Gavaskar Criticism, Wasim Akram’s Striking Verdict On Virat Kohli’s Scoring Rate

Already selected for India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad, Virat Kohli continues to remain a big subject of chatter among fans and pundits over his strike-rate in T20 cricket. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter has been crucial to his team’s victories this campaign on multiple occasions, but analysts have also blamed his poor strike-rate behind certain defeats. Sunil Gavaskar was one of those critics who questioned Kohli’s intent but Pakistan legend Wasim Akram doesn’t feel there’s anything wrong that the RCB star has done. Kohli, a few days ago, himself responded to the critics, hitting them back over the criticism of his strike-rate and struggles against spinners, prompting a fiery rant from Gavaskar on Saturday. Akram, however, isn’t in agreement with Gavaskar. “What criticism is he getting? That his team is losing. If the guy is scoring 100 at 150 strike rate, isn’t it fine? If the team had won, there wouldn’t have been criticism. Kohli was under pressure when he was captain, and he is under pressure even now. He is scoring, but one player cannot win the match. Criticising him unnecessarily… it’s not fair. In the long run, Kohli has a lot of cricket left, RCB will have to think why their performances were so inconsistent even after 16 years. Their batting is still fine, but their bowlers are weak,” Akram told Sportskeeda. “Some people say that the ground is short. But you know that already. Pick players according to that only. It is the same ground where I played a Test in 1987. It’s the same ground now,” he added. Akram also shared his opinion on the role of an ‘anchor’ in T20 cricket, saying going by the way this IPL has gone, that profile seems to be done and dusted. “If you look at this IPL, it feels like it’s over. The way teams are scoring 270s, it looks like it. People are calling an anchor slow even when the strike rate is 150. When you look at the pitches and the performances, it looks like it. You got to hit from the first ball, you can’t stop,” said Akram.

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Pakistan targets right T20 combination against understrength New Zealand | Cricket

IPL 2024: Chasing mounting total, LSG succumb to KKR bowling attack, concede 98-run defeat

Lucknow [India], : Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers shined to beat Lucknow Super Giants by 98 runs in the 54th match of the Indian Premier League 2024 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Sunday. IPL 2024: Chasing mounting total, LSG succumb to KKR bowling attack, concede 98-run defeat With the massive against the Lucknow-based franchise, KKR moved to the top of the table with 16 points and a net run rate of 1.453. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! KL Rahul and Arshin Kulkarni came to the crease to chase down the 236-run target, however, they failed to perform in front of the KKR bowling attack. Kulkarni hit few boundaries in the first few overs but succumbed infront of Mitchell Starc in the second over. The 19-year-old LSG batter smashed 2 fours during his time on the crease. The second wicket came in the 8th over after Harshit Rana removed Rahul. The LSG skipper hit just 3 fours while batting. KKR was successful in picking quick wickets as in the 9th over, Varun Chakaravarthy dismissed Deepak Hooda to keep the visitors’ dominance intact over LSG. Marcus Stoinis was the only standout for the hosts as he scored the highest runs in the game among his teammates. However, his time on the crease had to come to an end as Andre Russell dismissed him in the 10th over. The Aussie batter hit 4 fours and 2 sixes after playing 21 balls. Soon after the fourth wicket, LSG saw their wickets falling quickly as LSG stood at 130/8 after the end of the 15th over. Nicholas Pooran , Ayush Badoni , Ashton Turner , and Krunal Pandya failed to play a crucial knock while chasing the huge total. The ninth wicket of the game came after Chakaravarthy removed Yudhvir Singh Charak in the 16th over. Rana picked up the last wicket of the second inning and ended the game in the 17th over after he removed Ravi Bishnoi to end LSG’s inning at 137. Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy led the KKR bowling attack as they picked up three wickets in their respective spells. Andre Russell bagged two wickets in his 2-over spell and gave just 17 runs. While Mitchell Starc and Sunil Narine took one wicket each in their respective spell. Recapping the first inning of the match, after being put to bat first by Lucknow Super Giants , Kolkata was off to a fine start. Phil Salt started the assault by smashing Marcus Stoinis for two boundaries on the first two balls of the innings. In the third over, Naveen-ul-Haq was punished, with Narine and Salt hitting him for two fours each. In the next over bowled by Mohsin Khan, Narine joined the party and pummeled him for three fours and a six, looting 20 runs from the over. KKR reached the 50-run mark in just 3.4 overs. The 61-run stand between Salt and Narine was ended by Naveen, who got Salt caught by KL Rahul for 32 in 14 balls, with five fours and a six. KKR was 61/1 in 4.2 overs. At the end of six overs, KKR was 70/1 after the powerplay, with Narine and Angkrish Raghuvnanshi unbeaten. KKR brought up their 100-run mark in nine overs. Halfway through their innings, KKR was 110/1, with Narine and Raghuvanshi unbeaten. Narine reached his third fifty of the season with 27 balls, with six fours and three sixes. The 79-run partnership between Raghuvanshi and Narine was ended by Ravi Bishnoi, who got Narine caught near the boundary by Devdutt Padikkal while attempting a straight six. Narine was back in the hut for 81 in 39 balls, with six fours and seven sixes. KKR was 140/2 in 12 overs. Andre Russell was next up on the crease. KKR reached their 150-run mark in 12.4 overs. Naveen got his second wicket as Krishnappa Gowtham came running from the cover region to catch Russell for 12 in eight balls. KKR was 167/3 in 14.2 overs. The next batter to be dismissed was Raghuvanshi, who was caught behind by KL Rahul for 32 in 26 balls, with three fours and a six. KKR was 171/4 in 15.1 overs. Yudhvir Singh got his first wicket. Rinku Singh was the next batter at the crease, aiming to get his first big score of the season. With a four from Rinku, KKR reached the 200-run mark in 17.5 overs. Rinku however could not get the score he was looking for as he was caught for just 16 in 10 balls by Stoinis at deep backward square leg on a delivery by Naveen. KKR was 200/5 in 18 overs. The 19th over bowled by Yudhvir was expensive as Ramandeep hit him for two sixes over deep midwicket and long-on. The over gave away 17 runs. Iyer was dismissed by Yash Thakur, with a brilliant diving catch by Rahul behind the stumps. KKR skipper walked back for 23 in 15 balls, with three fours. KKR was 224/6 in 19.3 overs. KKR ended their innings at 235/6, with Ramandeep unbeaten along with Venkatesh Iyer at 1*. Naveen-ul-Haq was the pick of the bowlers for LSG. Yash, Ravi and Yudhvir also got a wicket. Brief score: Kolkata Knight Riders 235/6 beat Lucknow Super Giants 137 . This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

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IPL 2024 Points Table: Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings Take Massive Steps Towards Playoffs

IPL 2024 Points Table: Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings Take Massive Steps Towards Playoffs

Kolkata Knight Riders grabbed the top spot in the IPL 2024 points table with a huge 98-run win over Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday. The victory took the Shreyas Iyer-led side to 16 points and they are one win away from booking their playoff berth. Lucknow Super Giants went down to the fifth spot with 12 points – the same as Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad – but an inferior Net Run Rate (NRR). In the other match of the day, Chennai Super Kings remained third with a win over Punjab Kings that took them to 12 points. PBKS are eighth with 8 points from 11 matches. Sunil Narine’s sparkling fifty and a collective effort by the bowlers fashioned Kolkata Knight Riders’ 98-run win over Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2024 on Sunday. Deciding to bowl first didn’t go as per plan for LSG as KKR became the first team to cross the 200-run mark at the Ekana stadium. Proving his worth with the willow once again, Narine (81 off 38 balls) went on a six-hitting spree, blasting seven maximums and six fours to take the visitors to 235/6. Chasing an imposing total, LSG batters had to go from the word go but the hosts found it hard to get the big shots and were eventually bundled out for 137 in 16.1 overs. Within the first 10 overs, LSG had lost half the side including skipper KL Rahul (25), Arshin Kulkarni (9), Deepak Hooda (5) and big hitters Marcus Stoinis (36) and Nicholas Pooran (10). Ashton Turner hit some lusty blows and looked in mood to showcase his batting prowess but the Australian was supremely unlucky as an inside edge deflected off his boot with Varun Chakravarthy completing a caught and bowled. With the win KKR moved to the top of the table. They have 16 points, the same as Rajasthan Royals but have played one game more. LSG, on the other hand, dropped out of the top four to the fifth spot with 12 points from 11 games. Their Net Run Rate also took a massive hit going down from 0.094 to -0.371. Ravindra Jadeja produced an all-round effort to help Chennai Super Kings beat Punjab Kings by 28 runs. Sent into bat, Jadeja made 43 runs off 26 balls and then picked up 3 for 20 to ensure a win for CSK. Chasing a modest 168, PBKS faltered from the word go with only Prabhsimran Singh (30) and Shashank Singh (27) making significant contributions with the bat before being restricted to 139 for 9 in 20 overs. Besides Jadeja, Simarjeet Singh (2/16) and Tushar Deshpande (2/35) picked up two wickets each for CSK. Earlier, leg-spinner Rahul Chahar and pacer Harshal Patel picked up three wickets apiece as PBKS dished out a disciplined bowling effort to restrict CSK to 167 for nine. Jadeja, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (32) and Daryl Mitchell (30) got starts for CSK but failed to transform their knocks into big scores. Chahar (3/23) and Harshal (4/24) stood out with the ball for PBKS, while stand-in captain Sam Curran (1/34) and Arshdeep Singh (2/42) also registered their names in the wicket-takers list.

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LSG vs KKR, IPL 2024: Sunil Narine Shines In Kolkata Knight Riders' 98-Run Drubbing Of Lucknow Super Giants

LSG vs KKR, IPL 2024: Sunil Narine Shines In Kolkata Knight Riders’ 98-Run Drubbing Of Lucknow Super Giants

Sunil Narine’s sparkling fifty and a collective effort by the bowlers fashioned Kolkata Knight Riders’ 98-run win over Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL at Ekana Cricket Stadium on Sunday. Deciding to bowl first didn’t go as per plan for LSG as KKR became the first team to cross the 200-run mark at the Ekana stadium. Proving his worth with the willow once again, Narine (81 off 38 balls) went on a six-hitting spree, blasting seven maximums and six fours to take the visitors to 235/6. Chasing an imposing total, LSG batters had to go from the word go but the hosts found it hard to get the big shots and were eventually bundled out for 137 in 16.1 overs. Within the first 10 overs, LSG had lost half the side including skipper KL Rahul (25), Arshin Kulkarni (9), Deepak Hooda (5) and big hitters Marcus Stoinis (36) and Nicholas Pooran (10). Ashton Turner hit some lusty blows and looked in mood to showcase his batting prowess but the Australian was supremely unlucky as an inside edge deflected off his boot with Varun Chakravarthy completing a caught and bowled. With the win KKR moved to the top of the table. They have 16 points, the same as Rajasthan Royals but have played one game more. LSG, on the other hand, dropped out of the top four to the fifth spot with 12 points from 11 games. Their Net Run Rate also took a massive hit going down from 0.094 to -0.371. Earlier, the in-form Narine, who was dropped twice in the space of two balls, smoked five boundaries in five balls, setting the tone for the KKR innings. First, he hammered back-to-back fours off Naveen-ul-Haq in the last two balls of the third over. He then attacked the offside, hitting three boundaries on the trot off Mohsin Khan in the fourth over. Narine and Phil Salt (32) gave the two-time champions the explosive start they have come to expect from the duo. Together they put up a quick 61-run stand before Naveen-ul Haq took the pace off the ball to send the Englishman packing. Medium pacer Yash Thakur then stemmed the flow of runs in the final over of the powerplay, giving away only two runs as KKR reached 70/1. However, the unperturbed Narine continued his onslaught and brought up his fifty off 27 deliveries with a cheeky late dab that sent the ball rolling past short third. He took a particular liking to Marcus Stoinis, sending the ball over the fence three times in the 11th over. But Ravi Bishnoi, on whose bowling Narine was dropped twice before, was third time lucky as he put an end to the all-rounder’s spectacular innings. The LSG bowlers were able to rein in the KKR batters as they kept taking wickets. Naveen-ul Haq got rid of Andre Russell (12) before Yudhvir Singh, who came as a concussion sub for Mohsin Khan, picked up young Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s (32) wicket in the next over. The Afghan pacer swung back into action to account for the big-hitting Rinku Singh (16) while Thakur removed Shreyas Iyer (23). But Ramandeep Singh’s unbeaten 25 off 6 balls took KKR past the 230-run mark. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

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Faf du Plessis' "Nervous" Remark Despite Dominant Win Over GT Sums Up RCB's Current State

Faf du Plessis’ “Nervous” Remark Despite Dominant Win Over GT Sums Up RCB’s Current State

Following a four-wicket win over Gujarat Titans (GT), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Faf du Plessis said that he was nervous when his team lost six quick wickets. Faf and Virat Kohli delivered an exceptional start with a 92-run stand but lost their next six wickets within 25 runs. However, Swapnil Singh and Dinesh Karthik held nerves to guide the team to a tense win with 38 balls left.  Following the game, Faf said at the post match presentation, “We have been really good in the last few games, with both bat and ball. We’ve been unbelievable in the field as well. The wicket was a bit different, there was a bit more bounce. Wanted to make sure we take that information from the pitch and give it to the bowlers. Yes there was a dropped catch but it is the effort that we look for and that was there throughout.” “The games we’ve played here have all been high-scoring, anything around 180-190 would have been par. Was important we did not look at the scoreboard when we went out to bat and try and play the way we play. Was a bit nervous (during loss of wickets). Probably not the best assessment from us there. Yes we wanted to go out there and get the total quickly to boost the net run rate (NRR) but probably when we were 4 down, we had to calm down a little bit,” he added. Coming to the match, RCB elected to field first after winning the toss. GT was 19/3 at one point. Then, a 61-run partnership between Shahrukh Khan (37 in 24 balls, with five fours and a six) and David Miller (30 in 20 balls, with two fours and two sixes) helped GT make a brief comeback. RCB kept taking regular wickets and once again reduced GT to 87/5. Then, a 44-run partnership between Rahul Tewatia (35 in 21 balls, with five fours and a six) and Rashid Khan (18 in 14 balls, with two fours and a six) took GT beyond the 100-run mark. RCB bundled out GT for 147 runs in 19.3 overs. Yash Dayal (2/21), Vijaykumar Vyshak (2/23) and Mohammed Siraj (2/29) were among the top bowlers for RCB. Cameron Green and Karn Sharma took a wicket each. Coming to the run chase, RCB started off brilliantly with Faf Du Plessis (64 in 23 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes) and Virat Kohli (42 in 27 balls, with two fours and four sixes) putting up a 92 run stand. After that RCB lost its way due to a fantastic spell from Joshua Little (4/45) and Noor Ahmed (2/23). However, Dinesh Karthik (21*) and Swapnil Singh (15*) guided the team to a four wicket win with 38 balls left.

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Virat Kohli Gets Massage From Faf Du Plessis, Fan's 'Backbenchers' Reference Breaks Internet. Watch

Virat Kohli Gets Massage From Faf Du Plessis, Fan’s ‘Backbenchers’ Reference Breaks Internet. Watch

A video of Virat Kohli dancing while entering a room has taken the internet by storm.© X (Twitter) All eyes will be on Virat Kohli as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) take on Gujarat Titans (GT) in a do or die match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday. Both teams had also met last weekend with Kohli’s RCB beating Shubman Gill’s GT in a one-sided encounter in Ahmedabad. Kohli, who has been under the scanner for his strike-rate, hit an unbeaten 70 off 44 balls, but it was Will Jacks who stole the show with his unbeaten 100 off just 41 balls. Jacks had scored his first 50 in 31 balls, but took just 10 balls to breach triple figures. Ahead of their return leg against GT, Kohli and some of the RCB players attended an event. However, a video of Kohli dancing while entering the room has taken the internet by storm. In the viral video, Kohli was seen dancing with RCB skipper Faf du Plessis giving him a shoulder massage. When backbenchers are entering in class but teacher is already there pic.twitter.com/gDpM3LGKXe — Ayush Singh (@imabhinashS) May 3, 2024 Kohli has been in red-hot form in the ongoing IPL. He is currently the second highest run-getter in the tournament with 500 runs in 10 matches. He only trails CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad by nine runs in the Orange Cap list. Kohli’s form in remainder of the tournament will not be crucial for RCB, but also Team India as he has been selected in the 15-man squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. BCCI chief selectors Ajit Agarkar recently opened up on the debate surrounding Kohli’s strike-rate. “We haven’t been discussing Kohli’s strike-rate. There is a difference between IPL and international cricket. You need experience. We have got enough balance and power in the team. You look and try take positives from what is happening in IPL. Pressure of a World Cup game is different,” Ajit Agarkar played down Virat Kohli strike-rate criticism. There have been a debate whether Kohli should open the batting during the T20 World Cup. Addressing the talks, India captain Rohit neither confirmed or denied the same. “All the options are open. We haven’t decided yet, there is no guarantee and we will go there to the West Indies and depending on the conditions we will decide the playing XI,” Rohit said during a press conference.

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IPL-17: LSG vs KKR | Narine’s blitzkrieg powers Knight Riders to 235 against Super Giants

IPL-17: LSG vs KKR | Narine’s blitzkrieg powers Knight Riders to 235 against Super Giants

Kolkata Knight Riders opener Sunil Narine plays a shot during the Indian Premier League 2024 match against Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on May 5, 2024. | Photo Credit: Sandeep Saxena Sunil Narine continued his Midas touch with the bat in IPL 2024 as his blistering 39-ball 81 powered Kolkata Knight Riders to 235 for six against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on May 5. It all started with Narine putting on a quickfire 61-run opening stand with Phil Salt after K.L. Rahul elected to field. Narine started sedately as Salt peppered LSG’s new-ball bowlers with a flurry of boundaries from the other end. But soon enough, the West Indian batter opened up as he thumped Mohsin Khan for three fours and a six in the fourth over of the game. The KKR opening duo raced to its sixth fifty-plus partnership before Salt was caught behind off a slower one from Naveen-ul-Haq, much to the relief of a packed crowd. Angkrish Raghuvanshi too joined in on the fun, with the KKR No. 3 crunching some crisp drives on the off side. Only Yash Thakur managed to get in a boundary-less over in PowerPlay as the visitor piled on 70 runs in the opening phase. The end of fielding restrictions did nothing to deter Narine as he took on the LSG spinners. When Krunal Pandya pitched it up, the ball was whacked over mid-wicket for an 86-metre six. The left-handed batter got to his fifty with a delicate late-cut four against leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. The 35-year-old was brutal when LSG pacers pitched it up as he launched them over the fence with a cleared front foot. Marcus Stoinis was at the receiving end of three such maximums as the West Indian pressed on. Narine’s whirlwind knock ended on 81 after he mistimed a quicker one from Bishnoi to a relieved Devdutt Padikkal – who had touched the boundary line, a few deliveries earlier, with the ball in his hand after a similar mishit. Narine’s dismissal revitalised LSG as the home bowlers, aided by some good fielding, reigned in KKR’s run-rate. But a six-ball 25 from Ramandeep Singh in the death ensured that KKR finished on a high as it breached the 220-run mark for the fifth time this season. Scoreboard Kolkata Knight Riders: Phil Salt c Rahul b Naveen-ul-Haq 32 Sunil Narine c sub b Ravi Bishnoi 81 Angkrish Raghuvanshi c Rahul b Yudhvir Singh 32 Andre Russell c sub b Naveen-ul-Haq 12 Rinku Singh c Stoinis b Naveen-ul-Haq 16 Shreyas Iyer c Rahul b Yash Thakur 23 Ramandeep Singh not out 25 Venkatesh Iyer not out 1 Extras: (W-13) 13 Total: (For 6 wickets in 20 overs) 235 Fall of wickets: 1/61 2/140 3/167 4/171 5/200 6/224 Lucknow Super Giants bowling: Marcus Stoinis 2-0-29-0, Mohsin Khan 2-0-28-0, Naveen-ul-Haq 4-0-49-3, Yash Thakur 4-0-46-1, Krunal Pandya 2-0-26-0, Ravi Bishnoi 4-0-33-1, Yudhvir Singh 2-0-24-1.

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"Had Immense Pain In My Stomach": Mohammed Siraj's Big Revelation After RCB's Win Over GT

“Had Immense Pain In My Stomach”: Mohammed Siraj’s Big Revelation After RCB’s Win Over GT

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Mohammed Siraj revealed that he was suffering from severe stomach ache ahead of his side’s Indian Premier League (IPL) game against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Saturday, but still played the game with ICC T20 World Cup tournament in his mind and with the “power of the almighty”. Siraj played a crucial role in RCB’s four-wicket win over GT in Bengaluru on Saturday. His spell of 2/29 played a crucial role in bundling GT out for 148 runs, which was chased down by RCB with 38 balls to spare. Speaking in a video by the IPL featuring teammate Yash Dayal, Siraj said, “I felt I would not be able to play the game today. I had immense pain in my stomach and also loose motions so I thought there was no chance I would be playing. But I thought that since there is a T20 World Cup around (from June 1 onwards in the West Indies and the USA), getting game time will be very important and good for me. I did not have the energy to bowl with this intensity but maybe the almighty gave me the power.” In 10 matches of IPL 2024, Siraj has taken eight wickets at an average of 44.00, with the best bowling figures of 2/26. The pacer also talked about his bond with star batter Virat Kohli and how it helps him with his bowling. He said that good communication with a legend like Virat reduces half the difficulty for the bowlers. “Virat has known me for eight years now and he always gives handy advice on what to do in a particular situation. He also asks me as a bowler what I am thinking can be done and accordingly let us me execute my plans as well. When you have good communication with such a legend of the game then half the difficulty gets reduced straightaway as a bowler,” he said. Siraj lauded Yash for his bowling with the new ball and said that his performance will do his confidence a “world of good”. “Yash was very good for Gujarat as well and he has come here and continued to do well. He bowls well with the new ball and it will do his confidence a world of good. When you perform in tough situations, it gives you more confidence as a bowler,” he said. In 10 matches of IPL 2024, Dayal has taken 10 wickets at an average of 33.80, with the best bowling figures of 2/21. Dayal also said that he carried the confidence he got from domestic cricket. “I was observing while fielding that where they were hitting their shots. So setting a field against that, I just backed myself to execute my plans and they came off well,” he concluded. Coming to the match, RCB elected to field first after winning the toss. GT was 19/3 at one point. Then, a 61-run partnership between Shahrukh Khan (37 in 24 balls, with five fours and a six) and David Miller (30 in 20 balls, with two fours and two sixes) helped GT make a brief comeback. RCB kept taking regular wickets and once again reduced GT to 87/5. Then, a 44-run partnership between Rahul Tewatia (35 in 21 balls, with five fours and a six) and Rashid Khan (18 in 14 balls, with two fours and a six) took GT beyond the 100-run mark. RCB bundled out GT for 147 runs in 19.3 overs. Yash Dayal (2/21), Vijaykumar Vyshak (2/23) and Mohammed Siraj (2/29) were among the top bowlers for RCB. Cameron Green and Karn Sharma took a wicket each. Coming to the run chase, RCB started off brilliantly with Faf Du Plessis (64 in 23 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes) and Virat Kohli (42 in 27 balls, with two fours and four sixes) putting up a 92-run stand. After that RCB lost its way due to a fantastic spell from Joshua Little (4/45) and Noor Ahmed (2/23). However, Dinesh Karthik (21*) and Swapnil Singh (15*) guided the team to a four-wicket win with 38 balls left. (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

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