Lucknow Super Giants pacer Shardul Thakur received a special jersey from team mentor Zaheer Khan ahead of his 100th Indian Premier League match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. Zaheer presented Thakur with a jersey featuring the number 100 during the team huddle. The Indian Premier League’s official page shared a video of the moment with the caption, "Special Century. Shardul Thakur steps into his 100th TATA IPL match. He receives a momentous jersey from LSG mentor Zaheer Khan."
The pacer has been a consistent performer in the league over the years. However, before the start of the season, he went unsold in the auction. He later found a place in the Lucknow Super Giants squad after injuries in the camp created an opening. Since then, he has been one of the top performers with the ball.
Thakur is currently the leading wicket-taker for LSG and is in contention for the Purple Cap. He has taken seven wickets this season and has been effective in both the powerplay and the death overs. He will be crucial for the team in the ongoing match as they look to secure their third win of the season.
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Lucknow Super Giants have won two matches and lost two so far. They come into the game after a victory over Mumbai Indians at Ekana Cricket Stadium. Kolkata Knight Riders have an identical record with two wins and two losses.
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and elected to field first. Lucknow Super Giants are placed sixth in the points table, while Kolkata Knight Riders are fifth. Both teams have won two matches and lost two. The winner will have a chance to enter the top four.
Rahane said the decision to bowl first was based on the pitch and boundary dimensions. "The wicket looks really good. It's not that hot. The wicket won't change much. One side boundary is small. That's why we are bowling first. Everyone is looking forward to this game. This game is all about starting fresh. We need to take the positives and move forward. People are going to talk about it. We know Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine are match-winners, but we are not worried about them," Rahane said. He also confirmed that Spencer Johnson replaced Moeen Ali in the playing XI as an extra seamer.
Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant said he was not entirely happy with bowling first but remained focused on the positives. "Not thinking about the past too much. We will take the positives and move forward. As a team, we are winning, and as a captain, I am happy. We are playing with the same playing XI," Pant said.
Playing XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders: Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Lucknow Super Giants: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (captain and wicketkeeper), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh Rathi.
