Salt and Starc help Kolkata Knight Riders thrash Lucknow Super Giants

On Sunday, Kolkata Knight Riders secured a resounding eight-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants, thanks to Phil Salt's swift 89 runs and Mitchell Starc's impressive three-wicket haul.

Starc's figures of 3-28 restricted Lucknow to 161-7 at Kolkata's Eden Gardens, with the rest of the Knight Riders' bowlers delivering disciplined performances following their decision to field first.

The Australian left-arm fast bowler became the highest-priced purchase in IPL history when Kolkata paid $2.98 million for his services.

Opener Salt then guided the two-time IPL champions to victory in 15.4 overs, securing their fourth win in five matches this season. This marked the English wicketkeeper-batsman's second half-century in the current IPL edition, having scored 54 in their first win last month.

Salt anchored the chase despite Kolkata losing two early wickets, including opener Sunil Narine for six. He shared a 120-run partnership with captain Shreyas Iyer, who contributed 38 runs, hitting 14 boundaries and three sixes in his 47-ball innings.

Players have been striving to catch the eye of their national selectors ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup, set to commence on June 1 in the West Indies and the United States.

Although Starc began with an expensive first over, conceding 10 runs, he bounced back impressively and dismissed Deepak Hooda in his third over with a spectacular diving catch at backward point by Ramandeep Singh.

Narine, the mystery spinner, kept the runs in check and finished with figures of 1-17, while Starc closed out the innings by bowling the final over, conceding just six runs and claiming two wickets. He removed the dangerous Nicholas Pooran on the first delivery, caught behind for 45, and then bowled Arshad Khan with a yorker.