'Maaro bhai, dono maarenge...': Rishabh Pant recalls special IPL moment with Sanju Samson | Cricket News

‘Maaro bhai, dono maarenge…’: Rishabh Pant recalls special IPL moment with Sanju Samson | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant recalled an IPL 2017 moment with his former teammate Sanju Samson, who now leads the Rajasthan Royals. During an interaction on Jio Cinema, Pant shared a light-hearted moment from the past where Samson inquired about their game strategy while playing for the Delhi franchise together, against the Gujarat Lions, led by Suresh Raina at the time. Pant revealed their on-field chemistry by quoting what he told Samson, “We had a great chemistry together. Sanju came asked what would be the gameplan. I said, ‘Maaro bhai, dono maarenge (Let’s hit, brother; we’ll both strike).’” The two cricketers, Pant and Samson, have been in the limelight for their consistent performances in the ongoing IPL and have been selected for the upcoming T20 World Cup. There is a possibility of seeing them bat together for the national team, which would be an exciting prospect for cricket fans.ALSO SEE: IPL 2024 SCHEDULELooking ahead, the Delhi Capitals, under Pant’s leadership, are set to clash with Samson’s Rajasthan Royals in the 54th match of the ongoing IPL 2024 season in Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday. This encounter is crucial for both teams as they aim to secure their positions in the league standings. As of now, Rajasthan Royals have slipped to the second spot on the points table after a recent victory by Kolkata Knight Riders over Lucknow Super Giants. Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals are placed sixth, having accumulated 10 points from 11 matches. Both teams are eager to improve their standings, and the upcoming match is expected to be a high-stakes battle.

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MS Dhoni: 'Come on mate, bat for four overs': Irfan Pathan questions MS Dhoni's batting position in IPL 2024 | Cricket News

MS Dhoni: ‘Come on mate, bat for four overs’: Irfan Pathan questions MS Dhoni’s batting position in IPL 2024 | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan expressed bewilderment at Chennai Super Kings’ decision to persistently utilize veteran batter MS Dhoni in a lower batting order position, despite his solid form and the team’s fluctuating match situations.During CSK’s encounter against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala, Pathan observed Dhoni entering the fray as low as No. 9, with just eight balls remaining in their innings, a move that left him perplexed.“I know that he is 42, but he is in solid form. He should be taking the responsibility of batting up the order. He should bat for at least four to five overs,” Pathan remarked on Star Sports.Pathan emphasized the need for Dhoni to assume a more prominent batting role, particularly earlier in the innings, rather than being confined to a brief cameo in the final overs. “He is batting for the last over or last 2 overs and that doesn’t serve the purpose for CSK for a long term,” Pathan added.Dhoni’s dismissal for a golden duck further underscored the questionable decision-making regarding his batting position. Pathan highlighted the significance of Dhoni’s contributions, especially in critical match scenarios, urging CSK to reassess their strategy and optimize Dhoni’s batting potential.Acknowledging Dhoni’s impact in previous matches, Pathan stressed the necessity for a proactive approach in utilizing his expertise, especially considering CSK’s playoff aspirations. “When the team needed him, you can’t send Shardul Thakur ahead of yourself. They need to work out something; someone has to tell Dhoni, ‘Come on mate, bat for four overs’,” Pathan added.

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Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals Today Match Prediction & Live Odds - IPL 2024

Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals Today Match Prediction & Live Odds – IPL 2024

Get to Know Who will win Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2024 Match and toss Prediction with Head to Head stats, Playing 11, CBTFJSK Tips, Live score, Win Probability & winning percentage. 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 : Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 : May 07, 2024𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 : 19:30 IST / 14:00 GMT𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐄 : Arun Jaitley Stadium – New Delhi, India𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 : IPL 2024 Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals Betting Tips Jake Frazer McGurk has been mighty impressive. He scored 84 in 27 balls when he last played in Delhi. He can be backed as DC top batter. Kuldeep Yadav is Capitals’ best spinner, with 12 wickets. He is our preferred pick for the top bowler.Riyan Parag has been very consistent for RR, scoring over 400 runs. He played a brilliant knock of 77 in the last game against SRH. Back him as RR top batter. Sandeep Sharma has a habit of getting early wickets and given that DC like to score quick runs in powerplay, he has a great chance of picking a few wickets with the new ball. Back him as RR top bowler.The ground has seen some massive runs being scored. It is one venue where scoring a hundred is not that difficult in T20 games. We feel a hundred will be scored in the game between two batting heavy teams. Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals TV channels: The fans can watch the match live on Hotstar Live Streaming: Live streaming of the match will be available on the FAFA191 Cricket Exchange India and website. Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals T20 Match Prediction & Betting Tips, IPL 2024 Delhi Capitals will play Rajasthan Royals in the 56th match of the IPL 2024. The game will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi and will start at 7:30 PM IST on May 7th. Deli Capitals have managed to hold on to their dream of playing IPL 2024 playoffs after picking some form late in the tournament. The team has five wins in 11 games but four out of those wins have come in last six matches. If Delhi Capitals can win the remaining three games, they will qualify for the playoffs and that will be a massive achievement. Meanwhile, RR have been unstoppable. With 8 wins in 10 games, they have already qualified for the IPL 2024 playoffs.  RR have lost two games but they were the favourites to win both those games as well. They lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by just 1 run in a chase of 202. The batting, bowling has been top notch and at the moment, RR look red hot favourite to win the tournament. Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals Match Toss PredictionToss could be crucial as teams have preferred to chase in Delhi. It is a small ground and even a score of 230-240 is not a safe total here. Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals Pitch ReportThe wicket at the Arun Jaitley Stadium has been a graveyard for bowlers. DC scored 257-4 in the last game here and MI almost chased the target, losing by just 10 runs. Anything under 230 should be a very easy chase here. Delhi Weather ReportThe temperatures have gone up in north and it will hover around the 30 degree mark in evening. The humidity will be 18 per cent while wind speed will be 11 km/h Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds, and match prediction for Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals, Indian Premier League 2024

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We are focused on following template set by Gambhir: KKR’s Harshit Rana

We are focused on following template set by Gambhir: KKR’s Harshit Rana

 Young pacer Harshit Rana feels Kolkata Knight Riders are reaping the rewards by following the winning template set by two-time IPL winner. File picture | Photo Credit: Deepak K R Young pacer Harshit Rana feels Kolkata Knight Riders are reaping the rewards by following the winning template set by two-time IPL winner and current mentor Gautam Gambhir as they continued their sensational run to grab the top position in the IPL points table. Gambhir had led KKR to the IPL crown twice with the team also qualifying for the playoffs five times during his stint from 2011 to 2017. He had also guided KKR to the finals of the now-defunct Champions League T20 in 2014. However, in the last seven years, KKR could reach the playoffs only twice. Gambhir’s return to the KKR camp as a mentor this year turned things around as the Kolkata-based franchise moved to the top of the table with 16 points following a dominating 98-run over Lucknow Super Giants – 8th win in 11 games – on May 6 “Not only this match, this entire season we have been focussing a lot on the style of cricket that Gautam Gambhir wants us to play. He has a lot of knowledge on how to turn games in our favour and it helps us a lot in the middle,” Rana said during the press conference. “Like today he gave the bowlers a free hand, to find the length to bowl depending on the wicket, and not to try too many things,” he added. Rana (3/24 in 3.1 overs) played a crucial role in the win by taking three wickets while defending a target of 235. “KKR read the wicket very well. The areas we had to bowl, we targeted the right places,” Rana said. IPL’s biggest buy Mitchell Starc has proved expensive this season but Rana said the team management is not at all bothered about his economy rate and has faith on the Australian speedstar. “We have not cared even for a bit on how expensive Mitchell Starc has been in IPL 2024. He have full faith in him and he won us the last game and we have no doubts on him whatsoever. “He has such a great influence on the younger players, he has such a huge wealth of knowledge,” Rana said. Rana said his dream is to play for India and is focussing on his performance. “My aim is to play for India but whatever franchise I play for I try to give my best on the day of the match. I will be selected based on my performance and performance alone,” Rana said. We’d our plans but everything went Narine’s way: Naveen It was yet another sparkling fifty by Sunil Narine (81 off 39) which helped KKR post a massive 235 for six and LSG fast bowler Naveen Ul Haq conceded that all their plans failed against the star West Indian allrounder. “I think he played quite well. We had a plan of bowling bouncers and yorkers and mixing it up and not being predictable against him. We did that but he played quite a brilliant innings to be honest,” he said. “It wasn’t like he was slogging and everything was going top edge or anything like slicing the ball. He was properly middling it and that’s the case like from the beginning of the season. “He’s been middling it. Everything going his way. So yeah, it was a great knock by him.” The Afghan seamer said LSG could have produced a better show with the bat but they can’t dwell on defeat too much as they need to focus on the next game. “The amount of games that we have played in Lucknow, I think this was the best wicket to bat on. We did not do the things in the chase that we did – say in the game at Chepauk, where the target was very high. It was not like bad or anything, there was nothing for the bowlers,” Naveen said. “Pressure is always there on whatever score you are chasing. Every team has a bad day, and we cannot keep focusing on that, we have to move on.”

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T Natarajan to make India comeback? SRH coach makes sizzling prediction after pacer misses out on T20 World Cup squad

T Natarajan to make India comeback? SRH coach makes sizzling prediction after pacer misses out on T20 World Cup squad

T Natarajan has been simply sensational in IPL 2024. He is currently Sunrisers Hyderabad’s highest wickettaker this season and is also fourth in the Orange Cap race with 15 dismissals in eight matches. Despite his form, he missed out on a berth in India’s T20 World Cup squad, which surprised plenty of fans. But SRH bowling coach James Franklin feels that the 33-year-old is close to making his India comeback. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s T Natarajan collects a throw.(AFP) Speaking ahead of SRH’s fixture vs MI in Mumbai, Franklin said, “There are just so many quality players in India. He can only control what he can. His great strength is obviously his yorker bowling. That is where he is a huge asset for us as a team.” Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! “If he keeps going the way he is going and can hold his form throughout the rest of this IPL, those sorts of conversations around India, they tend to take care of themselves. If he keeps performing, then getting back in that Indian side won’t be too far away from it,” he added. Natarajan made his India debut during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He last represented India in a home series vs England in March 2021. He has been in good form this year, and has been injury-free. So the decision to snub him was a huge shock for many fans. The BCCI have also been accused by selection bias for not naming Natarajan in the 15-member squad. Earlier, even former India cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath echoed similar sentiments. “Why do some Cricketers from Tamil Nadu have to perform double time more to get into? They are not getting the extra backing. T. Natarajan should definitely be included in the Indian team for the World Cup,” he said on Star Sports. The pacers to assist Jasprit Bumrah in the T20 World Cup are Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj. Meanwhile, Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed have been named in the reserves. News / Cricket News / T Natarajan to make India comeback? SRH coach makes sizzling prediction after pacer misses out on T20 World Cup squad

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On top of IPL standings: Kolkata Knight Riders credit Gautam Gambhir's winning formula | Cricket News

On top of IPL standings: Kolkata Knight Riders credit Gautam Gambhir’s winning formula | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Young pacer Harshit Rana attributed Kolkata Knight Riders’ surge to the top of the IPL points table to the winning blueprint laid down by former captain Gautam Gambhir, now serving as the team’s mentor. Gambhir’s strategic insights, derived from his successful tenure as KKR skipper, have revitalized the franchise’s performance, leading them to reclaim their dominant form in the tournament.Under Gambhir’s leadership, KKR clinched the IPL title twice and secured playoff berths on five occasions between 2011 and 2017.Rana acknowledged Gambhir’s profound understanding of the game, stating, “He has a lot of knowledge on how to turn games in our favor, and it helps us a lot in the middle.”Rana emphasized the team’s adherence to Gambhir’s preferred style of cricket, which focuses on strategic discipline and adaptability. “Not only this match, this entire season we have been focusing a lot on the style of cricket that Gautam Gambhir wants us to play,” Rana remarked during a press conference following KKR’s commanding victory over Lucknow Super Giants.In the latest triumph, KKR showcased their astute reading of the conditions, with Rana playing a pivotal role in restricting the opposition with figures of 3/24. Despite concerns over Mitchell Starc’s economy rate, Rana expressed unwavering faith in the Australian speedster, highlighting his influential presence within the team. Reflecting on his aspirations, Rana expressed his ambition to represent India while maintaining a steadfast focus on delivering consistent performances for his franchise. “My aim is to play for India, but whatever franchise I play for, I try to give my best on the day of the match,” he affirmed.Meanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants’ Naveen Ul Haq conceded defeat against the brilliance of Sunil Narine‘s explosive innings, which propelled KKR to a daunting total. Naveen acknowledged Narine’s exceptional batting display, lamenting the failure of their bowling plans to contain the West Indian all-rounder.Despite the setback, Naveen remained pragmatic, acknowledging the need to regroup and refocus for their upcoming fixtures. “Every team has a bad day, and we cannot keep focusing on that, we have to move on,” he concluded, echoing the sentiment of resilience required in the demanding landscape of the IPL.(With inputs from PTI)

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Mohammed Siraj's form crucial for RCB: Griffith | Cricket News

Mohammed Siraj’s form crucial for RCB: Griffith | Cricket News

BENGALURU: It wasn’t a typical M Chinnaswamy stadium strip on Saturday night — the wicket was two-paced, and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru‘s bowling too wasn’t akin to their display in the Indian Premier League thus far.Their bowling attack, pace in particular, was characterised by discipline, lengths were rarely off the mark and the lines spot on.Most importantly, their lead bowler, Mohammed Siraj, was back in the groove, tormenting the hapless Gujarat Titans batters in the powerplay.Siraj was dropped for the run-fest against Sunrisers Hyderabad last month and the 10-day break seems to have rejuvenated the 30-year-old. The World Cup-bound pacer has found his rhythm and although RCB are seventh on the points table with three games in hand, it isn’t out of place for them to fancy an outside chance of making the playoffs.In the last two wins — both coming against Gujarat — the bowling in powerplay has been the key for Faf du Plessis and his men. Admitting that the team has been able to address the problem area, Adam Griffith, the RCB bowling coach, said, “The start of the tournament wasn’t great for us, especially in the powerplay and that is something we focused a lot on recently to make sure we work really hard to get better starts. It was good to see the hard work pay off.”Siraj, at the start of the day, was a doubtful starter.“I wasn’t feeling well. When I woke up in the morning, I thought I wouldn’t be able to play and should rest. But I manifested what I wanted to do and that’s exactly what happened,” he said after the four-wicket win.The Bengaluru-based franchise headed to Goa for a break after their nine-wicket win over the Titans in Ahmedabad last week and the rest seemed to have worked well for the team.Outlining the shift in the bowling approach, Griffith revealed, “We’ve swung the ball all tournament upfront. What we’ve done in the last couple of games is we’ve bowled a better line. We talked a lot about bowling straighter and attacking the stumps as much as we can to challenge the batters’ defence and make them play aggressive shots. If they want to come hard at us, it’s a challenge for them to do. The boys put it exactly where we wanted them.”While RCB’s spin attack is undercooked and the pacers have been under the pump, Griffith said Siraj’s form was crucial for the team.“He’s the leader of our group. He’s our most experienced bowler and played a lot for India over the last few years and done really well. It’s not just him bowling well but it’s his aggression, it’s his body language and it’s his taking the batters on to try and get wickets. He’s such an important part of what we’re trying to do. So, having him up and going, swinging the ball again, bowling with good pace is important,” pointed out the 46-year-old.

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IPL: Rohit Sharma's form a concern for India and Mumbai Indians ahead of Sunrisers Hyderabad clash | Cricket News

IPL: Rohit Sharma’s form a concern for India and Mumbai Indians ahead of Sunrisers Hyderabad clash | Cricket News

MUMBAI: In an IPL where arguments and counterarguments about Virat Kohli’s strike rate have hogged the limelight, the patchy form of Team India captain Rohit Sharma has flown under the radar.Going into the T20 World Cup next month, Rohit is aware that he could do with some runs and time in the middle under his belt, starting with Monday night’s tie for the Mumbai Indians against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium.When he was removed from MI captaincy before this season, head coach Mark Boucher had hoped that the decision would allow Rohit, who was in fine touch going into IPL, to “play more freely and take his team to the playoffs.”However, things haven’t exactly panned out the same way for the man who led MI to five IPL titles, but whose IPL form has been a concern for a few years now owing to his tendency to be over-aggressive from ball one. Since he slammed a century (105 not out off 63 balls) — his first in the IPL in more than a decade — against the Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on April 14 in a 20-run defeat — Rohit’s scores have been 36, 6, 8, 4 and 11. Before that, his sequence of scores in the tournament read 43, 26, 0, 49 & 38. Overall, the 37-year-old has managed 326 runs in 11 [email protected] so far in IPL-2024.In his last match against Kolkata Knight Riders, Rohit didn’t even field due to a mild back issue and only came to bat as an ‘Impact Player.’There is a fair chance that given that the T20 World Cup is around the corner, the veteran opener would again turn out for MI as an ‘Impact Player’- ironic since he himself has been critical of the rule!At the selection presser, India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar had made it clear that his committee pitched in for “experience” while picking the World Cup-bound squad, but Rohit’s poor IPL form does present a concern. If Rohit finds his form, it will help MI, down and knocked out of the competition, salvage some of their battered pride. Although they lost their first eight matches on the trot in 2022, this somehow feels the worst season for MI in their history. Having suffered as many as eight defeats — four on the trot going into this game — in 11 matches, they languish at the last spot in the 10-team tournament.While rumours and talk of their dressing room not being a happy place refuse to die, their big guns, barring pace ace Jasprit Bumrah (17 wickets in 11 [email protected]) have failed to fire right through.Placed far better at No 4 with 12 points in 10 matches (six wins and four defeats), the Sunrisers will eye another win which strengthens their playoff hopes.For perhaps the first time since they reached the final in 2018, SRH, the 2016 IPL winners, are looking impressive.Led astutely by Pat Cummins, they possess the tournament’s most dangerous batting line-up in openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, followed by Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy (smashed 76 not out off just 42 balls in the last match). Head’s contest with Bumrah has the potential to light up this game. Between them, Klaasen (31) and Abhishek (28) have smashed as many as 59 sixes in IPL-2024 so far-the maximum by anyone in the competition so far.

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IPL 2024 match today, MI vs SRH: Check likely XIs, head-to-head record, pitch report, and fantasy XI

IPL 2024 match today, MI vs SRH: Check likely XIs, head-to-head record, pitch report, and fantasy XI

It has been contrasting returns in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Mumbai Indians and the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The two teams came into the season with opposing moods around them. While SRH fans were feeling good about their side going all out to get World Cup-winning Australian captain Pat Cummins and then making him skipper, MI fans were dumbfounded by five-time title-winner Rohit Sharma being suddenly replaced by the returning Hardik Pandya in the position The way MI handled the situation with regards to stopping certain questions from being asked angered fans even more and this led to boos ringing out around the stadium almost every time the focus fell on Pandya. Hardik Pandya cut a rather beleaguered and frustrated figure at the end of MI’s loss to KKR in their previous match. (AFP) A number of key players, including Pandya himself, have been woefully out of form for MI. In fact, it could be argued that only pace maestro Jasprit Bumrah has delivered for the five-time champions consistently in every match. And yet, MI seem determined to give Bumrah just one over in the first 10 overs, thus often allowing opposition teams to recover from any damage that he did in the middle overs and often running away with the game. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! ALSO READ: KL Rahul laments LSG’s ‘poor performance overall’ after Lucknow Super Giants script embarrassing record vs KKR in IPL Pandya cut a rather beleaguered and frustrated figure at the end of MI’s stunning defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their last game. It marked the first time since 2012, and just the second time in the history of the IPL, that MI had lost to KKR at the Wankhede Stadium. KKR have been one of the teams to beat this season and now, MI face yet another well-oiled machine in the form of SRH. The Sunrisers come into this match on the back of a thrilling one-run win over the Rajasthan Royals, thus condemning the latter to just their second loss of the season. LSG’s loss to KKR on Sunday meant that SRH have climbed up to fourth on the league table going into this match. Meanwhile, MI are languishing at the bottom of the table. MI likely XI (if batting first) Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Nehal Wadhera, Tim David, Gerald Coetzee, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah MI likely XI (if bowling first) Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Tim David, Gerald Coetzee, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah, Nuwan Thushara Impact players: Nehal Wadhera, Nuwan Thushara SRH likely XI (if batting first) Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Anmolpreet Singh, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Marco Jansen, Pat Cummins (capt), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan SRH Likely XI (if bowling first) Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Marco Jansen, Pat Cummins (capt), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, T Natarajan Impact Players: Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, Anmolpreet Singh Head-to-head There is very little to separate the two sides with MI leading the head-to-head 12-10. MI also hold a 5-2 edge at the Wankhede Stadium. All of it may not matter though considering how this season has gone for both sides. Pitch Report The Wankhede Stadium is famous for high-scoring matches in limited-overs cricket. However, we saw a different side to it in the last match that happened here, with both MI and KKR’s spinners coming to the fore. Piyush Chawla picked up 1 for 15 in three overs, while Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy returned identical figures of 2/22 in four overs for KKR. Fantasy XI Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Nitish Reddy, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Gerald Coetzee, Pat Cummins, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah.

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'I think you have to pick your...': Sunil Narine on his blistering knock | Cricket News

‘I think you have to pick your…’: Sunil Narine on his blistering knock | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: In a scintillating display, Sunil Narine‘s explosive knock of 81 runs off just 39 balls powered Kolkata Knight Riders to a dominant victory over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 98 runs, catapulting them to the top of the IPL table on Sunday.Narine’s blistering innings, adorned with six fours and seven sixes, steered Kolkata to a formidable total of 235-6 after they were put in to bat first in Lucknow’s final home game of the season.The Kolkata bowlers then rose to the occasion, skittling out Lucknow for just 137 runs in 16.1 overs, securing their eighth win in 11 matches and all but sealing a playoff berth. With second-placed Rajasthan Royals having played one match fewer, Kolkata’s victory firmly establishes their position at the summit of the IPL standings.Narine, who has impressed after being promoted to open by Kolkata this season, led their batting charge in a 61-run first-wicket stand with Phil Salt.“The most important thing is starting well and it’s good to have the backing of the support staff. I think you have to pick your strengths and pick your spots, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t,” Narine, who was named Player of the match, said at the post-match presentation.Narine also showered praise on spinner Varun Chakaravarthy for taking wickets and making his job easier.“It’s going very well, Varun is picking up wickets, it’s making my job easier to keep things tight. He is a hard worker and it’s good to see him do well. The boys are anxious and eager to play, so no matter what the situation is, they are up for the challenge and they are contributing for us,” Narine added.

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