Naveen-ul-Haq praises Sunil Narine’s outstanding performance in LSG-KKR match in IPL 2024

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) faced a crushing defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the recent Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match, with right-arm seamer Naveen-ul-Haq praising Sunil Narine for his exceptional performance.

KKR emerged victorious by a whopping 98 runs at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, propelling them to the top of the table with 16 points and an impressive net run rate of +1.453. Narine stole the show with a blistering knock of 81 runs off just 39 balls, including six fours and seven sixes, at a striking rate of 207.69.

“We planned against Narine. We wanted to mix it up with bouncers and yorkers but nothing worked against him. It was quite a brilliant innings, to be honest. He was properly middling it. He has been doing it from the start of the season,” Naveen expressed at the post-match press conference.

Despite the loss, Naveen acknowledged the quality of the pitch, stating, “The amount of games that we have played in Lucknow, I think this was the best wicket to bat on. We did not do the things in the chase that we did – say in the game at Chepauk, where the target was very high. It was not like bad or anything, there was nothing for the bowlers.”

In a summary of the match, KKR posted a formidable total of 235/6, with Naveen-ul-Haq (3/49) being the standout bowler for LSG. However, Lucknow faltered in their chase, getting bowled out for 137 in 16.1 overs, with Harshit Rana (3/24) and Varun Aaron (3/30) leading the bowling attack for KKR.

With this win, KKR solidified their position at the top of the table, while LSG sits at fifth place. Sunil Narine was rightfully awarded the ‘Player of the Match’ for his stellar performance.