Lucknow Super Giants captain Okay.L. Rahul will look again at Saturday evening’s two-wicket defeat in opposition to Punjab Kings in an IPL 2023 match on the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow with a curious smile. His 56-ball 74, although the bedrock of his crew’s innings, as soon as once more raised questions on his standing as a classic automotive amongst Ferraris within the format.
But his transfer to carry again leggie Ravi Bishnoi, on a wicket the place the ball gripped and turned, until the fifteenth over practically proved to be a masterstroke; what with figures of two for 10 after two overs. However, with seven wanted from six, Bishnoi stuttered as PBKS rode on Shahrukh Khan’s blockbuster 10-ball 23 and Sikandar Raza’s 41-ball 57 to snap its shedding streak.
Bishnoi had accounted for PBKS stand-in captain Sam Curran – Dhawan was out with a niggle – in his first over earlier than getting Raza caught. Bishnoi’s guile was matched by Mark Wood’s exhausting lengths at specific tempo however the lack of a flourishing end whereas batting value LSG dearly.
Earlier, with PBKS 82/4 in 12 overs, Raza had breathed life again right into a dwindling chase when he took 17 off Krunal Pandya within the thirteenth over, with two sixes and a 4. His riposte finally orchestrated PBKS’s third win in 5 matches.
In the night, watching LSG openers go about their business within the PowerPlay after being despatched into bat was an train in deciphering two contrasting T20 batting philosophies. On one hand, Kyle Mayers smacked sixes whereas on the opposite, Rahul batted to the rhythms of his slow-burn T20 kind. Rahul reached his fifty in 40 balls and, alongside the way in which, additionally turned the quickest to 4000 IPL runs (105 innings). Sandwiched in between had been the dismissals of Mayers and Deepak Hooda, who fell in successive overs.
With LSG 108 for 2 in 14 overs, the gang anticipated an avalanche of sixes, however Kagiso Rabada’s twin strikes within the fifteenth over, eradicating Krunal Pandya and Nicholas Pooran, snuffed out hopes of a fightback.
Source: sportstar.thehindu.com