KL Rahul said his team was batting 10 fewer runs and they could have scored around 180-190 if the other players had capitalized on the good starts they got.
Posted Date – Sun, 16 Apr 23 at 01:06pm
Lucknow: After his side lost twice at home to the Punjab Kings (PBKS), Lucknow Supergiant captain KL Rahul said his team was 10 fewer runs in batting and if other players take advantage of the good they get To start, they could have scored around 180-190.
Sikandar Raza’s half-century fight and Shahrukh Khan’s amusing cameo give Punjab Kings a bitter two-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Indian Premier League (IPL) match Saturday, Luck Ekana Cricket Stadium in Naw.
“I think at the end we were about 10 runs short. The dew came in and it seemed to help the batsmen a little bit more. We didn’t handle the ball very well. When you’re playing in a new field, a new field, you Can’t rely on previous games. We go with the flow, evaluate it on the go and don’t really set goals for ourselves. If a few hitters come on and hit well, we can hit 180-190.
Unfortunately, a couple of hitters hit good balls today and got caught just over the line. On another day, we will get 10-15 extra runs and that will make a difference,” Rahul said in his post-match presentation.
LSG are out at 159/8 in their 20 overs after being batted first by PBKS. KL Rahul found form, scoring 74 runs in 56 games, including eight fours and a six. Kyle Meyers (29), Krunar Pandya (18) and Marcus Stoinis (15) made some other notable contributions to their teams, Help them reach a modest total. They failed to turn their solid start into impactful strikes.
Sam Curran was the PBKS bowlers’ choice, taking 3/31 in his four overs. Kagiso Rabada also got 2/34 in his four overs. Arshdeep Singh, Sikandar Raza and Harpreet Brar each took a scalp.
Chasing 160, PBKS reduced to 75/4 with counter-attacking bats from Matthew Short (22 off 34 balls, 5 fours and 6 offs). Sikandar Raza (57 off 41 balls with four boundaries and three sixes) and Harpreet Bhatia (22) kept PBKS’ game alive for half centuries.
A 23* (10) ball cameo from Shahrukh Khan gave PBKS a two-wicket victory.
Yudhvir Singh was the LSG bowlers’ choice with 2/19 in three overs. Mark Wood got 2/35 in his four pitches. Ravi Bishnoi also had two scalps, while Krishnappa Gowtham and Krunal Pandya had one wicket each.
Raza received the Man of the Match award for his game-winning all-around performance.
With this victory, PBKS jumped to fourth place in the standings with three wins and two losses in five games. They have a total of six points. LSG are second with a similar win-loss record, but they have a lower net win rate, which puts them below the top-ranked Rajasthan Royals.
Brief scores: LSG: 159/8 (KL Rahul 74, Kyle Mayers 29, Sam Curran 3/31) Lost to PBKS: 161/8, 19.3 runs (Sikandar Raza 57, Matthew Short 34, Yudhvir Singh 2/19).