Cameron Green, who was bought for a huge sum by Kolkata Knight Riders in the auction, hit a four in his very first over for the franchise on Thursday, April 9. The Australian all-rounder, who was heavily criticized for not bowling in his first few matches in the Indian Premier League 2026, answered his critics by dismissing Rishabh Pant in his very first over of the tournament.

In the ninth over of the match, Green’s short ball hit the Lucknow Super Giants captain, causing a big blow to the batting order. The Australian all-rounder, who was bought for a whopping price of Rs 25.20 crore IPL KKR faced criticism in the auction for not bowling in the first two matches of the season.

KKR vs LSG: Updates | Achievement:

Former England international Kevin Pietersen had also questioned Green’s place in the playing eleven due to his lack of contribution with the ball.

Pietersen had said on Star Sports, “I won’t talk about the money (auction price), but I don’t think he is good enough to bat at No. 3. He is not bowling. Batting at No. 3 here and taking that responsibility. He is a middle-order batsman who bowls a bit and that is what he does.”

The controversy first came to light in KKR’s season opener, when captain Ajinkya Rahane was asked why Green had not bowled in the shock defeat to Mumbai Indians.

A disappointed Rahane had responded that the question was best left to Cricket Australia, suggesting that the franchise was not fully aware of Green’s bowling limitations at the time of the auction.

However, Cricket Australia clarified the situation after a few hoursHe said that KKR had already been informed that Green would not bowl during the initial phase of the tournament due to a back injury.

A CA spokesperson had said, “Cameron has a lower back injury which is being managed but he will have to stay away from bowling for a short period of time.”

“KKR has been informed and is fully aware of this information,” the statement said.

But on that day, Green pitching in the overs with the ball really helped KKR get some pressure back in the middle overs. One over from Green dismissed Rishabh Pant, while on the other hand, Sunil Narine dismissed LSG with his mystery spin.

Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram’s comeback in the middle overs after early aggression helped KKR pull the game back in their favour. When sent to bat first at Eden Gardens, KKR had scored 181 runs for the loss of 4 wickets.

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