GT vs KKR: Lockie Ferguson sends down 154.1 kmph thunderbolt; clocks fastest ball of IPL 2023

Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) pacer Lockie Ferguson clocked the fastest ball of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season, clicking at 154.1 kmph against Gujarat Titans. Notably, the two sides have squared off in match 13 of the top-tier league at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Upon winning the toss, Rashid Khan, who is leading the side in place of regular skipper Hardik Pandya, opted to bat first. In the midst of the first innings, KKR pacer Lockie hit the deck hard at over 150 kmph to clock the quickest delivery of the season thus far.

He recorded this in the second ball of the fourth over while being up against flamboyant batter Shubman Gill. Lockie hit a fiery 154.1 kmph, bowling a full delivery outside off stump upon which Gill opened the face of the bat to guide it towards deep point for a single.

Interestingly, in the following two balls, too, Lockie clicked over 150 kmph to maintain consistency with his brute pace. However, in the third ball, the pacer clicked 150.5 kph, upon which veteran batter Wriddhiman Saha slammed it for a boundary over extra cover. Lockie responded with a dot in the fourth ball with 151.4 clicks, bowling a length delivery just outside off stump only for Saha to punch it towards cover.

Vikram Rajput@iVikramRajput

Lockie Ferguson fastest ball of IPL 2023 - 154.1kmph. #GTvsKKR

03:55 PM · Apr 09, 2023

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GT eye third win in IPL 2023 

For the unversed, Hardik Pandya has been confined to the sidelines as the skipper was ‘unwell’ as confirmed by stand-in captain Rashid Khan. Notably, the defending champions have won both their games thus far and will be looking for a third consecutive win against Kolkata.

On the other hand, KKR scripted a sensational win in their previous game at the iconic Eden Gardens as they brushed aside RCB by a massive 81 runs. Both sides will aim to keep the momentum and clinch the two points to climb up the points table. It remains to be seen if the Nitish Rana-led side can hand the defending champions their first loss of the season.