Ajinkya Rahane hinted that Cameron Green is still awaiting clearance from Cricket Australia to bowl in the ongoing Indian Premier League season.
The all-rounder was seen marking his run-up and going through bowling drills during the warm-up ahead of the clash against Lucknow Super Giants. Green has not bowled so far this season after undergoing back surgery and has been slowly increasing his workload in the nets. Green’s absence as a bowler has affected KKR’s combination, especially with multiple frontline options unavailable – Mustafizur Rahman (withdrawn), Harshit Rana and Akash Deep (injuries).
While he has resumed bowling in practice, Rahane suggested at the toss that he may still not be ready to take up bowling duties in a match situation.
When asked about Green’s bowling and what it adds to the combination, Rahane explained that his availability with the ball would greatly improve team balance, giving Kolkata Knight Riders more flexibility in their overall setup.
“When he (Green) is allowed to bowl, we will probably see him, the combination gets better, so Rovman Powell plays, when Cam Green bowls then we have that extra bowler with us,” Rahane said at the toss.
Meanwhile, Sunil Narine returned to KKR’s playing XI for the crucial clash on Thursday after missing the Punjab Kings clash, which was washed out due to rain. However, his spin partner Varun Chakarvarthy missed out as he is still recovering from the finger injury.
“We wanted to bowl. Just one change – Sunil comes in place of Blessing, Varun is still recovering from his hand injury,” Rahane said.
LSG opt to bowl against KKR
Rishabh Pant shared his thoughts after opting to bowl first, underlining his side’s intent to apply early pressure and the belief they have in their bowling unit, while also reflecting on how a recent win has lifted the mood in the camp and strengthened their approach.
“I think looking to bowl first. We want to put opposition at the back. Like I said before, we trust our bowlers enough that they might do a good job for us. (How significant was that win?) We feel, you know, victory definitely adds to the atmosphere of the team. We always talk about being positive, being having that intent at the same time. When you win, I think when people see all that are coming together, really happy for that. We’re playing with the same team. No change for us. (How do they balance their batting order?) We feel, our top order is definitely batting heavy, but at the same time we trust our top order to get us through the whole innings. You know, that’s what we are here for,” Pant said at the toss.