LAKR 243/3 in 19 Overs [Andre Fletchers 118(58), Alex Hales 58(26); Xavier Bartlett 1/44 in 4 Overs] beat SFU 233/10 in 18.5 Overs [Sanjay Krishnamurthi 92(40); Karthik Gattepalli 3/31 in 4 Overs] by 12 runs. (Match reduced to 19 overs due to rain; DLS Target: 245)
Los Angeles Knight Riders clashed against the San Francisco Unicorns in their final game of the season. LAKR played this game for their pride as they aimed to pick up victory and put a smile on the face of all of their fans. The Knights aimed to get out there and deliver a complete team performance. The in-form batters aimed to deliver big knocks while the bowlers looked to execute their plans to the fullest. The fans were eager to get out there and support their team one last time this season.
View this post on Instagram
LAKR started off aggressively after being put into bat first. Openers Alex Hales and Andre Fletcher took on the SFU bowlers right from the outset. Both came in with a plan to dominate and take charge of the game. Andre Fletcher with his brutal hits while Alex Hales with his versatile strokeplay left the SFU bowlers with no answers. A huge 94 run opening stand saw both players delivering massive blows. Alex Hales departed after scoring a well-compiled half century, as SFU aimed for some respite. However, Sherfane Rutherford who was promoted up the order came in to continue the carnage. The Spiceman Fletcher on the other hand upped the ante as he reached his second century this season putting everyone on notice. Due to a bit of rain delay the game had to be cut short to 19-over a side but no stoppages were able to stop the flow of runs from LAKR batters. Fletcher's immaculate century and excellent contributions from Rutherford and Hales took LAKR to a massive total of 243.
View this post on Instagram
LAKR started the defence of the total in a dominant fashion as Dominic Drakes delivered a wicket in the first over itself. Karthik Gattepalli who was playing his first ever game, came in with an absolute magical over picking up 2 wickets as SFU were reduced to 7/3 chasing this massive total. The game leaned completely in favour of LAKR as the bowlers aimed to close it out by picking up a few more wickets. However contributions lower down the order from Sanjay Krishnamurth and Hassan Khan dragged it back to SFU’s favour. The game suddenly started to slip away from LAKR’s reach as it went right down to the wire. However, Shadley Van Schalwyl held his nerve in the final over and picked wickets on back-to-back deliveries to seal an emphatic win for LAKR. It was a dominating performance for the Knights as they closed out this season with such a special win.
