Salt hits 89* as Kolkata race to big win over Lucknow in IPL

Opener Phil Salt smashed 89 off 47 balls to seal Kolkata Knight Riders' eight-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants at the Eden Gardens in the IPL 2024. 

With Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir backing Mitchell Starc to create an early impact against Lucknow Super Giants, the underfire pacer opened his account with the wicket of Lucknow Super Giants batter Deepak Hooda inside the powerplay. 

Bowling first in match No.28 of the Indian Premier League season 2024, KKR bowlers restricted LSG to 49-2 in the first powerplay. Pacer Vaibhav Arora removed Quinton de Kock for 10 off 8 balls while Ramandeep Singh plucked a stunning catch to hand Starc his first wicket of the match. 

After KL Rahul failed to bank on his start, Ayush Badoni chipped in with a 27-ball 29 before Nicholas Pooran top-scored for the Super Giants.

Pooran's brilliant 45-run knock off 32 balls lifted LSG to 161-7 in 20 overs. Emerging as the pick of the bowlers for Knight Riders, pace ace Mitchell Starc bagged three wickets and leaked 28 runs in four overs. Conceding six runs in the 20th over, veteran pacer Starc also picked up the crucial wicket of Pooran to restrict LSG to a below-par total. 

Making a forgetful debut against KKR, West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph bowled the most expensive first over at the IPL 2024. 

In a match where Sunil Narine was dismissed for cheap, opener Philip Salt played a match-winning knock of 89 off 47 balls to seal a comfortable win for KKR. Knight Riders skipper Shreyas Iyer remained unbeaten on 38 (38) as Kolkata thrashed Lucknow by eight wickets.
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