SO 142/6 in 20 Overs (Ryan Rickelton 89(52); Andre Russell 1/15 in 4 Overs) lost to LAKR 143/6 (Unmukt Chand 62(47); Harmeet Singh 2/27 in 4 Overs) by 4 wickets
LAKR took on the Seattle Orcas in an all-important game in Morrisville. The Knight Riders aimed to put on an impressive team performance to come storming back into the tournament. Two crucial points were at stake in the mid-table clash with both teams eyeing a win in the game. After being put into bowl first, LAKR started off impressively with bowling tight lines and lengths. Corne Dry made the first breakthrough and LAKR picked up the momentum quickly. Two back-to-back excellent fielding efforts led by skipper Sunil Narine led to two important wickets for LAKR. All throughout the innings, the bowlers kept the pressure on the SO batters and didn’t allow too many runs in the middle overs. Ryan Rickelton was the lone warrior for SO, as his innings of 89, helped Seattle reach a total of 142. The LAKR bowlers put on an impressive display of executing their plans and the biggest difference was Andre Russell’s impressive spell where he did not concede a single boundary in his quota of 4 overs. LAKR aimed to chase down the modest total put on by SO and pick up the victory in style.
The LAKR openers started off the run-chase cautiously and looked to adapt to the conditions. Even though they lost skipper Narine early, Unmukt Chand and Jason Roy forged an impressive partnership. Chand, who has been in great form in this tournament, played an excellent innings. He anchored the run-chase with playing excellent percentage cricket along with some big hits. His partnership first with Roy and then with Nitish Kumar ensured there are no hiccups in the run-chase. Despite losing a few wickets in the latter phase of the innings, LAKR cruises to the total with Saif Badar finishing it off. This important win will benefit LAKR’s momentum in the tournament and keep them in good stead ahead of the knockout stages. The Knight Riders are just one win away from qualifying for the playoffs and they will be aiming to take momentum from this into their final league stage game in order to clinch another important victory.
