Knight Riders, LSG look to sustain momentum

Kolkata, April 7

Sunil Narine will come face-to-face with his ‘clone’ and biggest fan Digvesh Rathi when Kolkata Knight Riders host Lucknow Super Giants in a high-stakes IPL afternoon clash at the Eden Gardens here on Tuesday.

Both sides are locked at four points from as many games — two wins apiece — going into the contest.

For the home side, it has been a season of mixed returns so far. After early defeats to Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians, KKR roared back to form in their last outing — a commanding win over Sunrisers Hyderabad — following a long-awaited middle-order resurgence. Their costliest buy Venkatesh Iyer finally delivered while Rinku Singh and veteran Ajinkya Rahane provided vital contributions.

Promising youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi also caught the eye with his fluency and textbook technique.

But one area of concern continues to plague KKR — their misfiring opening partnership. The opening duo of Quinton de Kock and Narine has struggled to give them flying starts that Phil Salt provided last season. Their highest stand this season has been 44 runs. Narine has looked inconsistent, raising questions over his role at the top.