NEWS
Follow UsBoth teams were looking to bounce back from a stinging loss, and the Eden Gardens provided the two teams to use their strengths to the fullest. However, it was as one-sided domination as it could get in the tournament, with Kolkata Knight Riders thoroughly dominating the fixture.
KKR first restricted LSG to an under-par total of 161, courtesy of an on-song Mitchell Starc, who ended with figures of 3/28, his best figures in the 2024 Indian Premier League. Starc credited the entire team and insisted that it was a pretty solid day for KKR, who bounced back well after defeat at the hands of Chennai Super Kings.
"Felt that the bowling throughout was good, obviously our first day game, and we did very well to keep them under the par. That showed with how we batted as well. We did quite well as a group and that's what counts. Pretty solid day for KKR," he said after the match.
“We have been pretty close to a good performance thus far, and we performed really well in the field. We were probably the best we have been in the field thus far. We were really good with the bat, ball and in the field,” he added.
There was a lot of pressure on Starc prior to the start of the tournament, owing to his price tag of INR 24.75 crore. But the left-arm pacer wasn’t too bothered with the price tag while adding that T20 is a lot physically easier than Tests.
"I don't read what is being written (price tag pressure). It was a bit two-paced early on, but eased out. We adapted to the conditions better than Lucknow,” he stated.
“I’m 34, and pretty good with my workloads. For players who play Tests, T20 is a lot more easy physically. It is more about getting used to the tactical side of things, it has taken me a lot more time than others,” he added.
Langer disappointed with LSG's batting efforts
On the other hand, LSG’s head coach Justin Langer wasn’t too pleased with his team’s batting efforts. He minced no words in stating that it was the batting that let them down over the last two fixtures.
“Last two games, it has been our batting that has let us down, we have been a very good defending team but the batting has let us down. We haven’t put on scores that we can defend,” Langer said in the post-match press conference.
"We haven't managed too many boundaries off the spinners in the last couple of games and that's an area we need to work on," Langer said.
However, Langer also praised his team’s captain KL Rahul, who aggressively started his innings, with a boundary. The former Australian coach wasn’t too harsh either on the youngster Ayush Badoni.
"KL Rahul was batting beautifully, but we kept on losing wickets and that put the pressure back on us. Ayush is a very talented player, he will keep learning from that experience, an obvious observation that we would love to address," Langer stated.
Lucknow were unlucky to be caught in between a busy schedule, something that Langer pointed out in the post-match press conference also.
"It was a bit too much asking the boys to play on Friday, fly in yesterday and play again today."
Langer handed a debut to West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph, and the Windies pacer didn’t have the best of starts to his IPL career, conceding 22 runs in his first over.
“He (Joseph) was very nervous leading into the game. But today he was very quiet, and that over went okay till that no-ball and wide and the pressure crept in. It is only his sixth white-ball game ever, he has so much to give, he will only get better,” he added.
