KKR vs LSG Highlights, IPL 2024: Phil Salt’s blistering 89* powers KKR to a big win at Eden Gardens

Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl first against Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Two of IPL’s most successful teams with five titles each, both sides are witnessing a tectonic shift of leadership change with Hardik Pandya taking over the mantle from Rohit Sharma at MI and Ruturaj Gaikwad succeeding Dhoni at CSK, but there is nothing that suggests their intense rivalry would expect any such shift.

Follow MI vs CSK live updates here.

Gautam Gambhir's KKR get one over his former side LSG. As the commentator says at the end, it felt like LSG were never at the races today. KKR's NRR – already pretty good – remains a very healthy 1.69 and they move to 8 points. LSG, after their run of not losing while defending 160-plus, have now lost twice in two matches over three days. 

Salt finishes the run-chase with a four. That's a comprehensive win. 

Just one minute before the toss at Wankhede for the El Clasico, KKR close it out at the Eden Gardens. 

Salt keeps strike and that means the match is likely to end next over. Just 6 more needed for KKR for a fairly big win. 

FOUR, SIX! SRK enjoyed that as he gets the crowd going (as if that is needed) after a massive six by Salt. Pickup shot over midwicket ofF Mohsin as the ball sailed into the stands. Nearly 100m that six

The extras have crossed the 20 mark for LSG today, it's been very wayward through the innings. For a team that is supposed to be good at defending, they haven't really helped their cause. Salt keeps the foot on the pedal, three fours in that Yash Thakur over. The second of those a full toss on the pads. Again wayward. The century partnership has come up as well, off just 72 balls. Shreyas been a spectator for the most part. 

A forgettable, eventful debut for Shamar Joseph in the IPL. Another no ball in that over, small margins and such. Shreyas Iyer starts and finishes the over with a four to his name and his strike rate crosses 100. There is no scoreboard pressure on KKR, otherwise it's been rather ordinary batting once again from the KKR skipper even though he is finally picking up the pace. 

A couple of mix-ups in the over between Salt and Shreyas. The 2nd time around bowler Mohsin should have been at the non-striker's end to try and gather the throw. Salt finishes the over with a pull for four. 

Salt trying to throw his hands at Bishnoi without really moving his feet, Bishnoi finishes the over with three dot balls. The Englishman not really picking the Indian spinner. Good over from Bishnoi. 

HALF CENTURY! Salt gets lucky once more as an inside edge off Arshad once again evades the stumps and goes for four. Next ball, hits a four through off side to reach his fifty off 27 balls. Shreyas hits another four earlier in that over and is just starting to catch up for run a ball. 

Bishnoi into the attack and a gift to Shreyas Iyer that is put away. On the pads, easy pickings. Shreyas just starting to find some momentum. 

Arshad with his left-arm medium pace. Shreyas needs to find a move on, he has looked rather edgy since coming out to bat. A short ball is forehanded down the ground for a four, might give him some momentum. Earlier, a streaky four for Salt as an inside edge trickles past short fine. 

FRUSTRATION FOR SHAMAR! First, he is celebrating his first wicket as Shreyas is given out caught behind down the leg side, but it is reviewed and the ball went off his thigh pad. And then he should have had the wicket of Salt, a pickup shot is not well timed, Arshad however parries it over the boundary line. A good save in football, not so useful in cricket. 

A strong end to the powerplay as Salt keeps going through with his attacking intent. Two fours to start Yash Thakur's first over, both by Salt. So apart from Mohsin, it was a bit of a struggle in that powerplay for LSG. 

One bad ball in that over as Shamar comes back into the attack, one on Shreyas' pads that is glanced away for four. But otherwise that is a really good comeback over by the WI pacer. Bowled a couple of beauts in the offstump channel, one shaping away to beat Shreyas' outside edge. 

After that wild first over from Shamar, LSG have pulled things well mainly thanks to Mohsin. That is another terrific over from the left-arm pacer, causing all sorts of problems to the new batter Shreyas Iyer as well. 

Mohsin strikes again! Two in two overs for him. Angkrish is out caught behind. Didn't look quite settled in his brief stay in the middle. LSG are clawing some momentum back. Angled away his, short of good length, he prodded it to Rahul. 

Hat-trick of fours! Salt ain't gonna go slow. A four down the ground, then a four over square leg with a sweep and then a four past mid-off with a lovely off drive. Krunal nearly gets Angkrish out caught off the last ball as there is turn and bounce but the ball falls short of point. 

With no Narine around, LSG go to Krunal Pandya early. 

Nealy a wicket-maiden from Mohsin, but Angkrish Raghuvanshi plays a stylish pickup shot over square leg for a six! Just about cleared the fielder there though. Didn't quite get the distance he wanted but it is a six nevertheless. 

Hit out or get out is Narine's mantra. He doesn't last long today as Mohsin, on his return from injury, strikes in the first over. A swing through the line but the bat turns in his hand and Stoinis takes the catch at point. 

Mitchell Starc, the most expensive player in the IPL, had struggled to hit the right notes so far. Apart from being expensive, even wickets were hard to come by. KKR's bowling coach Bharat Arun's advice to Starc was to just stick to what works for him. And on Sunday afternoon, he bowled a terrific spell, picking up there wickets for just 28 runs in his quota of four overs. The most striking aspect was he bowled three in the powerplay, never letting LSG batsmen any easy offerings. And in the final over, the last of LSG innings, he accounted for the key wicket of Nicholas Pooran and gave away just six runs. Starc was smiling and so were Kolkata.

Oh dear, not a good start for Shamar! A 150.7 kph delivery in that over, that Salt glances to short fine leg but it is put down! Oh hang on, it's a no ball. So wouldn't have mattered anyway. What's worse, the free hit is a wide outside off and then a wide down the leg side for five wides. And there is another wide! This is turning into a never-ending over. That was another no ball too. Salt then puts away the EVENTUAL last ball for a six. Narine had put away one through point for four. 

Narine and Salt will approach the chase only one way, you imagine. There won't be too many dot balls, if they could help. LSG need to strike early. Shamar Joseph has the ball in hand, would be exciting to see how he goes. 

Once again, LSG just manage to sneak past 160 but their record of defending these totals was ended a couple of nights back and once again it feels like a sub-par total. KKR will fancy their chances with their batting lineup, especially if Narine gets them off to a filer again. 

KL Rahul fell trying to move through the gears while KKR struck twice in the powerplay to dismiss Quinton de Kock and Deepak Hooda. Rahul, however, looked in good touch again as he guided LSG to 49/2 at the end of the first six overs. But LSG slowed down and their captain fell in the 11th over trying to shift gears. Narine's miserly 1/17 and Starc's 3/28 helped KKR restrict the run-flow, with only Nicholas Pooran managing to break the shackles a bit in the backend. 

This is KKR’s first of five at home on the trot and the Gautam Gambhir-mentored side will be fully aware this can prove decisive to clinch the play-off spot for the first time since 2021. With three wins out of four games, KKR are placed at No. 2 in the points table. Meanwhile, LSG with three wins and two losses in five matches are in fourth position.

LAST-BALL WICKET! A top-edge by Arshad goes for a four over the keeper's head. Starc changes his length and pace very well to keep this a quiet last over. Off the last ball, he cleans up Arshad. That wicket of Pooran really helped KKR there. Three wickets for Starc, arguably his best bowling performance so far this season. 

IMPACT SUBS: A while earlier, Varun was replaced by Rinku for KKR. And now Arshad replaces QdK for LSG. Arshad did a good job with the bat last match down the order. 

STARC STRIKES! That shaves a few runs off the total for KKR to chase. Going ide to Pooran works again. He could have left that and it would have been a bit, but throws his hands at it and gets an outside edge. Starc has his 2nd and a huge smile on his face. End of another good innings from NickyP.

Pooran c Salt b Starc 45 (32 balls)

Mitch Starc to Nicky P for the final over. 

Two fours in that over from Pooran, one a streaky outside edge over short-third, another not cleanly hit either, but clearing the fielder inside the ring on the leg side. Harshit does well with change of pace in the over, going across with the angle and keeping Pooran largely quiet. The WI batter does keep the strike and will need to go big in the last over.

Krunal does the right thing to rush back for a 2 off the last ball of that Vaibhav over. Pooran will be on strike for the start of the 19th, to be bowled by Harshit. 

NICKY P TIME! Vaibhav Arora with two sixes over the leg side, the second one a fine pull shot off an attempted bouncer. Much-needed for LSG here. Pooran now goes to the top of the six-hitting charts for IPL 2024, no surprises there. 

A super six from Pooran over midwicket as he plays his signature shot off Harshit. But otherwise it is a good over from the KKR pacer Think it is Samuel Badree on air who says "if he's there till the end don't rule out 200". Sure he's Nicky Pooran but surely that is not possible with less than 20 balls left? 

Varun finishes his spell too. A couple of bad balls in that spell but he too kept things largely tight. KKR's spinners have barely allowed LSG to break free in the middle overs. Now Pooran will hope to take on the pacers at the end. 

Sunil Narine finishes another tight spell going for 1/17 in his four overs. And he will be sure to have an impact with the bat as well in a while from now. Krunal joins Pooran, can LSG go past even 160? 

Time for the 2nd timeout. Once again, LSG are heavily dependent on Pooran to take them to a decent score. 

Badoni's struggles are over. He tries to take on Narine in his final over, could have avoided if he was otherwise striking the ball well, but at this point he had to hit out or find a way back in. Goes for a sweep, top-edged, caught at long leg. 

Badoni c Raghuvanshi b Narine 29 (27 balls)

Sunil Narine to bowl out. Will Badoni get a move on? He had hit a six over midwicket off Varun a while back but still hitting just over run-a-ball. 

Pooran goes big first ball, putting a full toss from Varun over midwicket for a 88m six! That was a gift gleefully accepted. But Varun comes back well enough to limit the damage despite a couple of wides. 

Another miserly over from Narine, who has the ball on a string here. Just four singles and LSG's innings, after a brief revival, has hit the brakes again. 

Oh dear. Pooran nearly out second ball. A wild swing to a full ball, thick outside edge but it falls short of short-third. Would have been disastrous for LSG if they lost their main man in the middle order. 

STOINIS FALLS! It's a brief stay in the middle for the Aussie allrounder. Varun gets one to nip back in to the batter, an inside edge loops off his pads and Salt takes a really sharp catch behind the stumps. A slightly bizarre dismissal but KKR will gladly take it. 

Stoinis c Salt b Varun 10 (5 balls)

Be it under Andy Flower in the last two seasons or now under Justin Langer, Lucknow's approach with the bat is a throwback to the early days of T20s. Keep wickets in hand and go for the shots in the end. It means Lucknow are not fully maximising the potential of Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis, two batsmen who are game-changers in the format. At Eden Gardens despite having a lightning quick outfield in offering, the manner in which Rahul and Ayush Badoni rebuilt their innings was perplexing. In the first 10 overs, there were just 8 boundaries and a six. One expected Langer, who saw considerable success as coach of Perth Scorchers in Big Bash League and a trendsetter, to change Lucknow's approach. But for whatever reason, LSG believe it is a more safe option .

A much-needed flurry of boundaries in that over for LSG but they have also lost a well-set Rahul who was looking in good touch. Stoinis comes in and hits two fours off DreRuss. Badoni really needs to get a move on here. 

KL RAHUL GOES SIX AND OUT! Oh dear. After one of the shots of the tournament, upper cutting DreRuss over point for a six, Rahul hits a short ball straight down the throat of Ramandeep at deep midwicket. He'll be so frustrated, that deserved to be put away. 

Rahul c Ramandeep Singh b Russell 39 (27 balls)

After that ordinary fielding effort led to a four first ball, Varun finishes the over with four singles and a dot ball. LSG's innings not really going anywhere in this phase. 

Varun CV will start off his spell post the timeout. And the two West Indies oldies combine to not field the ball behind square on the leg side as Ayush Badoni picks up a much-needed boundary. 

Narine continues to keep things tight. A big LBW appeal in that over against KL Rahul, who plays a sweep to a really full delivery. Hitting outside off though. Just four singles in that over. Time for a timeout. LSG have hit the brakes, can they find another gear here? 

LSG taking it slow out of the powerplay, another quiet over. This one by Harshit Rana, who looks in good rhythm again on his comeback. Rahul and Badoni dealing in 1s and 2s and already signs that change of pace will be crucial on this pitch. 

A typically miserly over by Sunil Narine to start his spell. Just five singles. Right out of the powerplay, the 7th over is usually quiet in T20s and Narine bowling it means LSG take no risks. 

There is plenty to debate about KL Rahul's approach in T20 format. Irrespective of the pitch, he is not known to hit the top gear straight away. And the most frustrating part of it all is, how he keeps all the shots safely in the locker. However, in those rare moments when he unleashes those shots, there are very few who could look as stylish as him. His six off Vaibhav Arora was one such. To a full length ball outside off, he effortlessly deposited it over cover. Later on as Mitchell Starc got one to angle away, he fetched a boundary over covers, by just using his wrists. Rahul, more such shots please.

A good over for LSG to finish the powerplay. Harshit Rana in to the attack, Badoni with a lovely square for four. Rahul finishes the powerplay with a well-placed late cut behind point. A shot he plays so well to pace and spin. He is on 23 off 13, a healthy strike rate without taking too many risks. He should try this more often. 

Starc registers 1/23 in the powerplay, not bad from him after starting by conceding two fours off the first two balls. That was a good over, with a wicket and just five runs. Badoni is at No 4. LSG's woes at No 3 continues. 

RAMANDEEP! What a catch. Starc gets a third over in the powerplay, and after getting hit for a four over cover by Rahul, he hits back with the wicket of Hooda. Length ball outside off, square driven, but Ramandeep takes a stunner at point. What a catch. 

Hooda has been tested with the bouncers already, but he manages to – kinda – deal with this one by Vaibhav, a one-handed shot that goes over the keeper's head for a four. Good over though, KKR keeping things tight.

Early days, but KL Rahul once again has started off well, striking at 200 in the powerplay now. 

A really good over from Starc spoiled by a short ball to finish as KL Rahul puts it away for a four. The Aussie pacer gave Hooda a good working over early, with two angled deliveries beating him and then a bouncer that he fended away awkwardly.