Kolkata : Cameron Green made his long-awaited return to bowling, but it failed to spark a turnaround for Kolkata Knight Riders, who slumped to another defeat in the Indian Premier League.
The Australian all-rounder, who had been playing only as a batter while recovering from a back injury, contributed an unbeaten 32 as Kolkata posted 181/4 against Lucknow Super Giants at Eden Gardens.
Green’s return with the ball briefly lifted hopes when he dismissed Lucknow captain Rishabh Pant with his second delivery. However, his spell proved expensive, conceding runs at crucial moments, including 16 in the penultimate over as Mukul Choudhary powered his side with an unbeaten 54 off 27 balls.
Lucknow clinched victory off the final delivery, handing Kolkata their fourth match without a win this season. Their only point so far has come from a washout against Punjab Kings.
Despite the poor start, Kolkata’s Rovman Powell remained optimistic, stressing that IPL success often depends on peaking later in the tournament.
Kolkata currently sit ninth in the 10-team standings, just ahead of Chennai Super Kings on net run rate.
