Afghanistan cricketer Rahmanullah Gurbaz made the difficult decision to leave his ailing mother in the hospital to join the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the IPL playoffs. Gurbaz had been called up by KKR after Phil Salt left for national duties. Despite his mother’s illness, Gurbaz felt obligated to join his “other family” and contribute to KKR’s playoff run. In his first match back, Gurbaz made a significant contribution with a 23-run knock off just 14 balls against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has lost one of their key players, Phil Salt, who has left the team to join the England squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup and a T20 series against Pakistan. Salt was the second-highest scorer for KKR in the ongoing IPL season, with 435 runs in 12 matches.
The top 10 of the IPL 2024 Orange Cap list remained unchanged after the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday. KKR openers Phil Salt and Sunil Narine, the only two players in the top 10 who played in the match, had a poor day at the office. Salt was dismissed after hitting a six, while Narine was dismissed for a golden duck by Purple Cap holder Jasprit Bumrah. Gujarat Titans openers Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan made significant gains in the Orange Cap list in the last match. Sudharsan smashed his maiden IPL century and moved up to fourth place, while Gill re-entered the top 10 at number 10. CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad failed to close the gap with current Orange Cap leader Virat Kohli, who remains on top with 634 runs in 12 matches.
The two-time former champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will face off against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in a doubleheader at the Ekana Stadium on Sunday. Both sides have been in impressive form this season, with three wins in their last five encounters. KKR has been particularly explosive with the bat, led by the likes of Phil Salt and Sunil Narine, while their bowling has been spearheaded by Mitchell Starc. LSG, on the other hand, will need to find a reliable opening combination and hope for some big contributions from their star-studded middle order. The match promises to be a fascinating contest between two evenly matched teams.
The Ekana Stadium pitch is expected to provide some assistance to the bowlers, so both teams may opt to chase if they win the toss. The head-to-head record between the two sides favors KKR, who have won three out of four matches against LSG. However, LSG will be determined to break that streak and continue their push towards the playoffs.
KKR’s Phil Salt acknowledges that his team may have benefited from a fortunate call regarding Virat Kohli’s dismissal in their victory against RCB. He suggests that the IPL may consider reviewing the effectiveness of technology in umpiring decisions.
