At the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Monday, Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 18 runs after they had successfully held them to a meagre 126.
At the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Monday, Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Lucknow Super Giants by holding them to 126 runs. While KL Rahul walked in to bat at No. 11 after suffering an injury that prevented him from having any impact on the game, LSG paid for some rash batting by their top order.
A magnificent effort was made by the other bowlers after Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli had earlier in the evening set up the game with a strong opening partnership. Karn Sharma and Josh Hazlewood were the standout bowlers for RCB, both taking two wickets.
Few days after surpassing the second-highest team total in Indian Premier League history, though under different circumstances and at a different location, LSG was unable to chase down 127 at home due to some strange shot-selection. After Naveen-ul-Haq (3 for 30), Ravi Bishnoi (2 for 21), and Amit Mishra (2 for 21) bowled valiantly to restrict a potent RCB to 126 for 9, LSG’s top-order was shocking in what should have been a modest chase.
The Lucknow Super Giants’ pursuit had an odd beginning. They need a little more than six runs per over, but Kyle Mayers only managed to loft Mohammed Siraj to mid-on, where Anuj Rawat happily made an easy catch. In the 2023 IPL, Siraj dismissed Mayers twice, both times for zero. The LSG skipper, KL Rahul, missed his opening position due to an injury he sustained early in the RCB innings. Josh Hazlewood sent back Ayush Badoni, the Impact Player, for 4 off 11 balls after he had little effect.Between the dismissals of the two Lucknow openers, Krunal Pandya entered the game at No. 3 and hit Siraj for three consecutive boundaries, but Glenn Maxwell’s determined innings prevented him from continuing.
