Just a couple of days after a seven-wicket victory in a rain-curtailed match against San Francisco Unicorns, Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) once again emerged on top, this time against the Seattle Orcas. LAKR brushed aside the Orca to claim a 81-un victory in Dallas.
Powell leads the way
After being put in to bat, LAKR scored a competitive 196 in their 20 overs, with Andre Fletcher top-scoring with 40. There were useful contributions from Colin Munro (30) and Jason Holder (23) but it was Rovman Powell’s contribution of 37 off 11 that induced momentum into the innings, with LAKR nearly reaching 200.
Powell nearly hit six sixes in an over off Dasun Shanaka. However, after hitting five sixes in a row, Powell mistimed the next one and was eventually dismissed.
Ottneil Baartman and Jasdeep Singh picked up three wickets apiece, while Shanaka picked up two despite going for 59 runs in his four overs. Jasdeep bowled an excellent 20th over, picking up all three of his wickets and giving away just four runs. In fact, LAKR lost their last four wickets off the last seven balls of the innings, giving the Orcas some momentum heading into the second innings.
Orcas’ struggle continues
However, the Marcus Stoinis-led side never got going in the chase as they lost four wickets in the powerplay. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals and did not put LAKR under any pressure. Shadley van Schalkwyk (3/17) and Andre Russell (3/8) dismantled the Orcas’ batting line-up and took their side to an easy win.
Harmeet Singh (25 off 17) showed some fight in the end, but with no other player even crossing 20, his effort was never going to be enough. With this loss, the Orcas have lost two of their three games, currently in fifth position on the points table.
They will hope to get back to winning ways when they take on Washington Freedom next on June 25 in Oakland. LAKR, on the other hand, will look to make it three in three when they face defending champions MI New York next on June 27.
Brief scores:
Los Angeles Knight Riders 196 in 20 overs (Andre Fletcher 40, Rovman Powell 37; Jasdeep Singh 3/29) beat Seattle Orcas 115 in 15.3 overs (Harmeet Singh 25, Dasun Shanaka 14; Andre Russell 3/8) by 81 runs
Player of the Match: Shadley van Schalkwyk
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