A swashbuckling knock of 81(39) by the rampant Sunil Narine, coupled with excellent bowling and fielding efforts, powered Kolkata Knight Riders to their third win in a row and move to the top of the table as they beat Lucknow Super Giants by 98 runs in Match 54 of the TATA IPL 2024 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

Narine and Phil Salt (32 off 14) set the platform with a blistering 61-run stand from 4.1 overs. Narine then carried forward the momentum and smashed 81 off 39 before vital cameos from Ramandeep Singh (25* off 6) and Shreyas Iyer (23 off 15) propelled KKR to 235/6. The in-form Varun Chakaravarthy (3/30) and Harshit Rana (3/24) then led KKR's charge with the ball with as the visitors bowled LSG out for 137 from 70/1.

Defending 236, KKR struck early courtesy of a stunning catch from Ramandeep Singh. Starc induced a leading edge off Impact Player Arshin Kulkarni, and Ramandeep, running backwards, pulled off an absolute blinder. Rahul and Kulkarni had played some fine strokes, hitting four fours off the first nine balls, but that brilliant catch cut short the opening stand.

Judgment 💯
Technique 💯
Composure 💯

Ramandeep Singh with one of the best catches you'll see 😍👏

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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 5, 2024

Marcus Stoinis arrived and counter-attacked, cracking a six off Vaibhav Arora and then hitting three powerful fours off Starc before taking LSG past fifty with another six off Harshit Rana as LSG reached 55/1 at the end of the Powerplay. Stoinis and Rahul brought up the fifty-run-stand with Stoinis being the aggressor. With the partnership flourishing, KKR needed a wicket. It was provided by Harshit Rana as he had KL Rahul (25 off 21) caught at deep point in the eighth over. It sparked a collapse. The in-form Varun Chakaravarthy made it two wickets in quick succession as he trapped Deepak Hooda, who reviewed in unsuccessfully, LBW. Then entered Russell and he provided two huge breakthroughs, sending back Stoinis, who top-edged his heave to backward point on 36(21) and Nicholas Pooran caught behind.

Can't keep him out of action 😎

Andre Russell breaking into the #LSG middle order with a fine spell of bowling 👌👌

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Narine joined the wicket-taking party as he had Ayush Badoni caught at long off. Ashton Turner cracked a couple of sixes off Varun Chakaravarthy but he walked off to a bizarre dismissal as he jammed one onto his boot and the ball looped into the hands of Chaharavarthy for a caught and bowled. Harshit came back to have Krunal Pandya caught behind in the next over. Chakaravarthy got his third, having concussion sub Yudhvir Singh Charak caught at point off a top-edge. Harshit Rana finished it off with his third wicket by trapping Ravi Bishnoi LBW as KKR bowled LSG out for 137 and won by 98 runs. 

Earlier, Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul won the toss and elected to field.

Just like they have done in the previous matches, Phil Salt and Sunil Narine got KKR off to a breezy start, bringing up fifty in four overs. After taking 18 off the first two overs, Salt and Narine upped the ante, cracking four fours off Naveen-ul-Haq in the next over. Narine then took the attack to Mohsin Khan and smashed three fours and a six to take 20 off the over as the pair brought up the 50-run stand. Naveen then bounced back in the next over, having Salt (32 off 14) caught behind after being hit for a four first ball.

Narine and Angkrish Raghuvanshi got together and steadied the ship before switching gears from the 9th over. The duo hit a six each off pull shots off Yash Thakur as Narine brought up his fifty off 27 balls in the same over and KKR reached 100. After hitting a couple of fours off Ravi Bishnoi, Narine went on the attack against Stoinis, smashing three sixes in the over.

SAILING AWAY ⛵️

Sunil Narine's fabulous run continues with another stroke full FIFTY 💥

He also crosses the 4️⃣0️⃣0️⃣- run mark for the first time in #TATAIPL 👏👏

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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 5, 2024

Narine got lucky in the next over as he lofted one to long off and Devdutt Padikkal caught it but stepped onto the ropes as he couldn't maintain his balance. He then slashed at one and got an outside edge to short third man where Mohsin Khan dived to his right but couldn't hold on to it. The KKR opener, though, didn't get third time lucky as Padikkal held onto an easy catch at long off four balls later as he mistimed his loft off Bishnoi on 81(39). After a couple of mixed overs, LSG got the big wicket of Russell as substitute fielder K Gowtham pulled off a fantastic catch running backwards after Russell miscued one high in the air off Naveen.

𝗗𝗼 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀!!

Krishnappa Gowtham’s terrific catch gets a 👏 from Jonty Rhodes 😍

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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 5, 2024

Yudhvir Singh Charak then came on as Concussion substitute for Mohsin Khan, who hurt himself while attempting that catch of Narine at short third man, and he struck off the first ball, having Raghuvanshi caught behind. LSG had clawed their way back into the contest. Rinku Singh and Shreyas Iyer took KKR past 200 before Rinku departed for 16(11). Ramandeep Singh then provided the final flourish with a 25*-run cameo off six balls to take KKR to 235/6.

𝗞𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗠 💥

Ramandeep Singh adding merry to #KKR's total 👌

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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 5, 2024

This was the first time a team had posted a total of 200 or more at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.