The pitch is far from good for batting, but the bowlers still have work to do and the Lucknow Supergiant bowlers have done it
Posted Date – 11:44 PM, Wednesday – 4/19/23
Photo: IANS
Jaipur: The pitches were far from favorable for batting but the bowlers still had work to do and the Lucknow Super Giants bowlers did it with aplomb in their 10-run win over Rajasthan Royals in the IPL here on Wednesday.
Chasing 155, RR were stopped at 144 six times on their return to the Sawai Mansingh Stadium after four years in disappointment despite a commendable run earlier in the evening. RR openers Jos Buttler and Yashavi Jaiswal knew it wasn’t easy to hit the ball on this track, but they managed to keep up with the running pace required.
However, LSG staged a stunning comeback and emerged as the winner. Young Jaiswal had 44 off 35 balls with the help of four boundaries and two sixes, while his senior opening partner Butter had 40 off 41. LSG waited a while before letting their impact player Amit Mishra make a move. And for their first break, they had to wait until the 12th inning, when Jaiswal cut Marcus Stoinis to undersized third outfielder Avesh Khan, who appeared to hurt his hand while finishing a low catch. Despite losing a wicket, RR remained in the driver’s seat, but that changed after Sanju Samson’s horrific melee with Butler. The game turned when Butler hit RR on a 97-run 3-pointer in the 14th inning.
Shimron Hetmyer joined Devdutt Padikkal in the crucial overs but the former was bowled out deep by Avesh Khan’s bowling. After that, RR can’t do much. Kyle Meyers topped the table with 51 earlier, before Marcus Stoinis (21 off 16 balls) and Nicolas Poulein (28 off 20 balls) took his side to 154 with seven balls . Trent Bolt bowled brilliantly for 1-16 in four overs, while Ravichandran Ashwin was also excellent, hitting 2/23 from four overs.
Veteran New Zealander Bolt delivered two fine passes to justify RR skipper Samson’s decision to go first after winning the throw. Bolt, one of the world’s leading seamers for over a decade, did his job in the usual fashion, KL Rahul looked clueless and the pressure from tricky bowlers spread to the struggling LSG captain body. Unable to free his arms, Rahul eventually cast Sandeep Sharma in the air but the young Jaiswal missed. He was six years old at the time. After adding another six to his total, Rahul got another chance as Jason Holder, who usually has safe hands, dropped a sky ball after running back from halfway. This was seven balls after Jaiswal was shy at the bowler’s end and missed Rahul’s run-out chance at no crease at all.
The two missed chances irritated Samson, but RR didn’t have to pay a heavy price as Rahul went off in an incredible 32-ball 39. After consuming so many pitches, Rahul would have liked to carry his bat in RR innings, but the holder left him with a slow ball that executed well. After conceding just 13 runs in his first two runs and the third, Bolt deservedly knocked over the stump of Ayush Badoni’s leg and made his way to the wicket.
Despite the missed chances, RR bowlers were very frugal and did not lose in 6 strong games, while LSG remained at 37, not the best batting ground. On and off, Meyers managed to find the boundaries, including hitting Yuzvendra Chahal from long distance on the ground for maximum in the ninth. Four balls later, Rahul put on the show, drawing a huge six over the deep middle wicket fence.
Brief score:
Lucknow Super Giants: 154/7 in 20 overs (Kyle Mayers 51, KL Rahul 39; R Ashwin 2/23). Rajasthan Royals 144/6 in 20 rounds (Yashavi Jaiswal 44, Jos Buttler 40; Avesh Khan 3/25).
