Under the hot Kolkata sun, Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers put up a sizzling show to set up the hosts for a comfortable win.
The former champs ticked all the boxes as they delivered with ball and bat and on the field in their eight wicket win over the Lucknow Super Giants.
While Phil Salt's unbeaten knock may have taken the Knights across the finish line, their spinners along with big-bucks player Mitchell Starc gave the hosts a lot to be happy about.
That cannot be said about the Lucknow bowlers, who endured a tough outing on the field.
KKR's win over LSG was their first victory over the Lucknow side in the league.
The best bowling spells at the Eden Gardens on Sunday, April 14, 2024:
Mitchell Starc
Starc, the IPL's most expensive player, had a forgettable start to the tournament. Expensive spells and a lack of wickets had fans questioning his hefty price tag.
On Sunday, Starc silenced the critics with a magnificent bowling performance.
He bowled a fiery spell that yielded three crucial wickets and never allowed the LSG batters any easy runs in the Powerplay.
But it was the final over that truly cemented his redemption. With LSG threatening a late flourish, Starc held his nerve. He dismissed Nicholas Pooran with a clever away-going delivery on the very first ball of the 20th.
Starc wasn't done. He finished the over and the LSG innings with another wicket -- this time Arshad Khan, restricting lsg to a below par 161 for 7.
His final figures: a match-winning 3/28, a complete turnaround from his earlier performances. Prior to this game, Starc from four matches had just two wickets and leaked 11 runs per over, drawing criticism. Sunday's spell silenced the carpers as the big Aussie led the Knights stellar bowling display.
Sunil Narine
Playing his 14th season for KKR, Narine's economical bowling in the middle overs restricted LSG to a modest total.
Narine came on right after the Powerplay, when K L Rahul and Ayush Badoni were threatening to build a partnership for the third wicket.
The pitch offered assistance for his spin, and Narine exploited it perfectly. He cleverly varied his pace and deliveries, keeping the batsmen guessing. This strategy forced Rahul and Badoni to play cautiously, effectively halting their momentum.
Narine's control was exceptional. He conceded only nine runs in his first two overs and finished his 4 overs with just 17 runs given away.
His lone wicket was that of Badoni (29), caught by Angkrish Raghuvanshi at deep square leg.
Under the hot sun and on a tricky wicket, Narine's tight spell, along with Varun Chakravarthy's bowling, put the brakes on the LSG scoring rate.
The Lucknow batters couldn't find any boundaries off the ever-reliable Narine. He rarely offered any width, forcing the batters to play with utmost respect, while constantly threatening their wickets.
Mohsin Khan
Mohsin Khan was the only bright light for LSG as KKR made a mockery of their bowling.
Having put up an under-par score, LSG got their defence off to a rocky start with debutant Shamar Joseph leaking 22 runs in the first over.
Mohsin, sharing the new ball, handed LSG some respite as he struck in his very first over, removed the destructive Narine.
With Narine in attacking mode, Mohsin struck with his third delivery. Sticking to the hard length, Mohsin took the pace off. The lack of pace saw Narine miscue the shot and Marcus Stoinis took the catch at cover point.
Mohsin began with a brilliant first over with a wicket and four dots, before Raghuvanshi dispatched him for a maximum over long leg.
In his second over, Mohsin struck on the very first ball. A back of the length delivery slanting across the off side forced Raghuvanshi to nick it to Rahul for a simple catch. In his second over Mohsin conceded just two runs and picked up a wicket.
Rahul brought Mohsin back into the attack, but he couldn't break the Phil Salt-Shreyas Iyer partnership, conceding eight runs in his third. In his final over, Salt dented Mohsin's figures hammering him for consecutive boundaries.
Mohsin's 2/29 was the best for Lucknow as Salt punished the other LSG bowlers to chase down the target with ease.
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