Kolkata Knight Riders delivered a dominant performance to thrash Lucknow Super Giants by 98 runs and go top of the points table in IPL 2024. Batting first, KKR posted a mammoth total of 235/6 riding on an outstanding 81-run knock from Sunil Narine. The veteran batsman smacked 7 sixes and 4 boundaries in his 39-ball innings to help Kolkata breach the 200-run mark for the first time at the Ekana Stadium.
Phil Salt gave KKR a quick start with a 16-ball 27 before he fell in the sixth over. Narine then took center stage as he tore into the Lucknow bowling attack. He put on a 122-run stand for the second wicket with Angkrish Raghuvanshi to lay the foundation for a big total. Lucknow pulled things back in the middle overs but cameos from Rinku Singh (35) and Andre Russell (25*) helped Kolkata cross 230.
In response, Lucknow never got going in the run chase. KL Rahul scored 36 but lacked support from the other end. Wickets fell at regular intervals as Kolkata's bowlers kept the pressure with consistent accuracy. Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana and Sunil Narine picked up multiple wickets each to bundle out LSG for just 137. The huge 98-run victory helped Kolkata leapfrog other teams to go top of the points table. With the play-offs fast approaching, KKR look like serious title contenders.
