Nicholas Pooran becomes fifth West Indies cricketer to record major milestone in IPL

Nicholas Pooran played a cracking knock of unbeaten 87 runs off just 36 deliveries against Kolkata Knight Riders at the iconic Eden Gardens on April 8. With that, the keeper-batter became the fifth West Indies international to score over 2000 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Smith and Andre Russell are the four other cricketers to have named the record in the cash-rich league.

The openers Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram set the tone for Pooran, who wreaked havoc right from arriving at the crease. The 29-year-old completed his half-century in just 21 balls – which was his fourth-fastest for Lucknow in the tournament. Notably, wickets fell on the other end but Pooran didn’t care much about that and played his natural cricket. He has been given the freedom to express himself and Pooran lived up to the expectations.

He is also the current holder of the Orange Cap. Marsh, who scored 81 runs against KKR, overtook him for a brief period but Pooran reclaimed his spot. He currently has 288 runs to his name in the ongoing season. Meanwhile, during his stay, the former West Indies captain hit seven boundaries and eight sixes and batted at a strike rate of 241.67. 

Credit goes to Marsh and Markram as well. The openers stitched a partnership of 99 runs, which allowed Pooran to play an aggressive brand of cricket. The wicket wasn’t easy to bat on early on but the opening duo managed to keep the scoreboard ticking. After Markram departed for 47 runs off 28 balls, Markram took over the business, changing gears to help LSG manage a good start.

Interestingly, after he departed, Abdul Samad was sent out to bat. Captain Rishabh Pant demoted himself down the order as David Miller was also sent ahead of him. Nevertheless, Lucknow posted 238 runs on the board in the first inning, something that the team will be extremely happy about.