News Analysis India

Tag: Lucknow super giants

  • IPL 2024: Blame Game In LSG Camp After Loss To DC As KL Rahul Slams Team | cricket news

    Lucknow Super Giants suffered third consecutive loss in IPL 2024 going down against Delhi Capitals (DC) by 19 runs. LSG captain KL Rahul pinpointed the team’s struggles in the powerplay as the primary reason for their position in the league. Reflecting on the match, Rahul emphasized, “Losing a lot of wickets in the powerplay was the big reason why we are in this position.” Despite a valiant effort from Nicholas Pooran and Arshad Khan, Lucknow Super Giants fell short, succumbing to a 19-run defeat at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

    Coming to the match, DC, opting to bat first, posted a big total of 208/4 in their allotted 20 overs. Stubbs and Abhishek Porel spearheaded the innings with fine fifties, propelling their team to a formidable total. Naveen-ul-Haq emerged as the top bowler for Lucknow Super Giants, claiming figures of 2/51.

    In response, Lucknow Super Giants faced early setbacks, finding themselves at 44/4. However, resilient half-centuries from Nicholas Pooran and Arshad Khan kept their hopes alive. Despite their efforts, the relentless bowling performance from Delhi Capitals restricted Lucknow Super Giants to 189/9 by the end of their innings.

    Rahul lamented the missed opportunity, stating, “When we got JFM out in the first over we should have capitalized, but they – Hope and Porel – showed a lot of intent.” He acknowledged the significance of a solid start in setting the stage for their power-hitters like Stoinis and Pooran.

    Expressing disappointment, Rahul highlighted a recurring issue throughout the season, “We keep losing a lot of wickets in the powerplay, we never get a solid start to get the likes of Stoinis and Pooran in.” This consistent struggle to establish a solid foundation has hindered Lucknow Super Giants’ performance in the league.

    With this defeat, Delhi Capitals climbed to the fifth position in the standings, concluding their season with seven wins and 14 points. Meanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants slipped to seventh place, managing six wins and 12 points. The fate of both teams’ playoff aspirations now hangs in the balance, contingent upon the outcomes of the remaining fixtures involving other franchises.

  • Sanjiv Goenka Invites KL Rahul Home For Dinner, Hugs Him As PIC Goes Viral

    LSG play DC today in IPL 2024. KL Rahul will captain the side. He met team owner Sanjiv Goenka last night and ended the rumors of the rift between the two.

  • LSG Vs RR Dream11 Team Prediction, Match Preview, Fantasy Cricket Hints: Captain, Probable Playing 11s, Team News; Injury Updates For Today’s Lucknow Super Giants Vs Rajasthan Royals In Ekana Stadium, 730PM IST | cricket news

    Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are ready to lock horns with the league leaders Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday (April 27). KL Rahul and co are in red-hot form winning their last two games against the mighty Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – one at home and one away from home at Chepauk.

    Sanju Samson and his side are also in tremendous form standing on top of the points table with 7 wins from their 8 matches played so far. RR have only lost one match and they have 14 points. KKR are second with 10 points under their belt.

    LSG vs RR: Dream11 Prediction

    Wicketkeepers: KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler (C)

    BATTERS: Yashasvi Jaiswal

    All-Rounders: Riyan Parag, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya

    Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal (VC), Sandeep Sharma

    LSG vs RR: Predicted 11s

    LSG: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul(w/c), Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Devdutt Padikkal/ Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Matt Henry/ Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan.

    RR: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma.

    Both Team Squads

    Rajasthan Royals Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal, Keshav Maharaj, Shubham Dubey. , Navdeep Saini, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Kuldeep Sen, Nandre Burger, Tanush Kotian, Donovan Ferreira, Abid Mushtaq, Kunal Singh Rathore.

    Lucknow Super Giants Squad: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul(w/c), Marcus Stoinis, Devdutt Padikkal, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Matt Henry, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur, Arshin Kulkarni, Krishnappa Gowtham, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Manimaran Siddharth, Arshad Khan, Prerak Mankad, Amit Mishra, Kyle Mayers, Shamar Joseph, Ashton Turner, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mayank Yadav.

  • IPL 2024: Hailing Mayank Yadav’s Speed, Ex-Pakistan Pacer Takes Potshots At Umran Malik | cricket news

    After Mayank Yadav bowled a 155.8 kph delivery in IPL 2024 contest between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Ekana, he has become a toast of the nation. It is rare to find a fast bowler in India who hits 150 kph or more consistently. Mayank is just 21 years old and can bowl in the 150 kph range consistently. He finished with a match-winning and award-winning spell of 3 for 27 for LSG but it was his pace that brought the attention of the world to him. He got praise from all over the world, not least just India.

    Also Read | ’20 Lakh Ka Mayank Yadav Is Better Than 25 Crore Ka Starc’, LSG Pacer Bowls Fastest Ball Of IPL 2024 And Memes Hit Internet

    Former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop, Aussie legend Brett Lee and SA pace sensation Dale Steyn all hailed the superman show by quick Mayank. Like Umran Malik in 2022, Mayank has become the face of the fastest bowlers in IPL 2024.

    Pakistanis were also impressed with Mayank. Pakistan is one country which has consistently produced genuine fast bowlers. Ex-Pakistan captain and wicketkeeper Rashid Latif called Mayank new sensation in IPL. Pakistani fans also commended the effort of Mayank. While former pacer Junaid Khan too had great things to say about Mayank, he took a potshot at Umran, who clocked a 157kph delivery in 2022.

    Taking to Junaid wrote: “Good to see the youngster Mayank Yadav bowling 150kmh+ but hoping he can continue like this just as @shoaib100mph did and not like Umran Malik who bowled 150+ in 1 season and next he was bowling 140kmh.”

    It would be interesting to see how Umran reacts to these comments. Umran is yet to bowl his quickest ball in IPL. He is playing this season with an aim to make a comeback to the Indian national team.

    Mayank impressed Kevin Pietersen too. England batter posted on X about the Indian youngster, saying the spell must have impressed the great West Indian fast bowler Ian Bishop. Brett Lee tweeted: “India has just found its fastest bowler. Mayank Yadav. Raw pace, Very impressive.”

    Indian selectors must keep an eye on this Delhi-born pacer, who was ignored by Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings at the trials.

    More on Mayank Yadav

    Mayank rose to prominence with brilliant show in CK Nayudu Trophy in which he picked 15 wickets in only 6 matches. He then played for Delhi in Syed Mushtaq Ali Tro[hy and grabbed 5 wickets at an economy of 6.5. He finished with 6 wickets in Vijay Hazare Trophy wherein he played 5 matches. In 2023 Deodhar Trophy, he picked up 12 wickets in 5 matches for North Zone. Mayank missed the entire IPL 2023 due to injury but is looking to make the most of the 2024 season. 

  • No overanalysis of loss, need more intensity on the field: LSG skipper KL Rahul

    By IANS

    PUNE: Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul has said that the crushing 62-run defeat at the hands of Gujarat Titans will not affect the team’s “energy” and “intensity” in the field when they take on the next opponents to secure a last-four berth in IPL 2022.

    Riding on the win against LSG, the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans secured a playoffs berth on Tuesday nigh.

    The LSG are in a great position to secure a last-four berth, as they are on 16 points. But they still have to win one of their remaining two games to ensure there are no surprises later on, given that two teams — Rajasthan Royals and RCB — have 14 points each, while Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad — on 10 points each — can also stake claim to last-four berths provided they win their three remaining games.

    The LSG skipper conceded that this was not the time to “overanalyse” but to keep the energy and intensity in the field intact.

    “Obviously we’re not going to sit back and overanalyse a game like this. What we want is energy and intensity in the field and that was quite good while we were fielding. Batting, you get one chance and you can make a mistake. So you don’t want to overanalyse a game like this. You want to learn from it and see how we can do better if we’re put in a situation like this again,” said Rahul.

    The skipper said that he knew the wicket would play tricky, adding that the batters should have applied themselves better than the 82 runs they managed in the chase of 144.

    “We all knew it looked like a tricky wicket. That’s how it’s played here for the last two or three games that we played here. We knew it was a tricky and challenging pitch. But we bowled really well I think. Restricting a team under 150 is really commendable on any pitch and the bowlers did their job. We should have batted a lot better. Some poor shot selections and a run out didn’t help.”

    He added that the defeat would serve as a wake-up call as the tournament approaches the business end.

    “Some good learning from this for us hopefully. A loss for this is not what a team wants but sometimes you need a little reminder to keep turning up every game and keep doing our best. These low totals, you want to make use of the Powerplay. So for me and Quinton (de Kock), it was about getting the team off to a good start, not necessarily getting off to a 60-run powerplay, but at least get to 35 or 45 without losing too many wickets would have been ideal and set us up.

    “Because we knew the pitch was going to grip a bit and scoring runs after the powerplay and hitting boundaries might be difficult so we took a few chances that didn’t come off. In the middle, we knew that their spinners will be difficult to score off, but having said that we have to find ways to score runs against good opposition on tricky pitches. That’s something that we need to learn and figure out,” he added.

  • No overanalysis of loss, need more intensity on the field: LSG skipper KL Rahul

    By IANS

    PUNE: Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul has said that the crushing 62-run defeat at the hands of Gujarat Titans will not affect the team’s “energy” and “intensity” in the field when they take on the next opponents to secure a last-four berth in IPL 2022.

    Riding on the win against LSG, the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans secured a playoffs berth on Tuesday nigh.

    The LSG are in a great position to secure a last-four berth, as they are on 16 points. But they still have to win one of their remaining two games to ensure there are no surprises later on, given that two teams — Rajasthan Royals and RCB — have 14 points each, while Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad — on 10 points each — can also stake claim to last-four berths provided they win their three remaining games.

    The LSG skipper conceded that this was not the time to “overanalyse” but to keep the energy and intensity in the field intact.

    “Obviously we’re not going to sit back and overanalyse a game like this. What we want is energy and intensity in the field and that was quite good while we were fielding. Batting, you get one chance and you can make a mistake. So you don’t want to overanalyse a game like this. You want to learn from it and see how we can do better if we’re put in a situation like this again,” said Rahul.

    The skipper said that he knew the wicket would play tricky, adding that the batters should have applied themselves better than the 82 runs they managed in the chase of 144.

    “We all knew it looked like a tricky wicket. That’s how it’s played here for the last two or three games that we played here. We knew it was a tricky and challenging pitch. But we bowled really well I think. Restricting a team under 150 is really commendable on any pitch and the bowlers did their job. We should have batted a lot better. Some poor shot selections and a run out didn’t help.”

    He added that the defeat would serve as a wake-up call as the tournament approaches the business end.

    “Some good learning from this for us hopefully. A loss for this is not what a team wants but sometimes you need a little reminder to keep turning up every game and keep doing our best. These low totals, you want to make use of the Powerplay. So for me and Quinton (de Kock), it was about getting the team off to a good start, not necessarily getting off to a 60-run powerplay, but at least get to 35 or 45 without losing too many wickets would have been ideal and set us up.

    “Because we knew the pitch was going to grip a bit and scoring runs after the powerplay and hitting boundaries might be difficult so we took a few chances that didn’t come off. In the middle, we knew that their spinners will be difficult to score off, but having said that we have to find ways to score runs against good opposition on tricky pitches. That’s something that we need to learn and figure out,” he added.

    PUNE: Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul has said that the crushing 62-run defeat at the hands of Gujarat Titans will not affect the team’s “energy” and “intensity” in the field when they take on the next opponents to secure a last-four berth in IPL 2022.

    Riding on the win against LSG, the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans secured a playoffs berth on Tuesday nigh.

    The LSG are in a great position to secure a last-four berth, as they are on 16 points. But they still have to win one of their remaining two games to ensure there are no surprises later on, given that two teams — Rajasthan Royals and RCB — have 14 points each, while Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad — on 10 points each — can also stake claim to last-four berths provided they win their three remaining games.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The LSG skipper conceded that this was not the time to “overanalyse” but to keep the energy and intensity in the field intact.

    “Obviously we’re not going to sit back and overanalyse a game like this. What we want is energy and intensity in the field and that was quite good while we were fielding. Batting, you get one chance and you can make a mistake. So you don’t want to overanalyse a game like this. You want to learn from it and see how we can do better if we’re put in a situation like this again,” said Rahul.

    The skipper said that he knew the wicket would play tricky, adding that the batters should have applied themselves better than the 82 runs they managed in the chase of 144.

    “We all knew it looked like a tricky wicket. That’s how it’s played here for the last two or three games that we played here. We knew it was a tricky and challenging pitch. But we bowled really well I think. Restricting a team under 150 is really commendable on any pitch and the bowlers did their job. We should have batted a lot better. Some poor shot selections and a run out didn’t help.”

    He added that the defeat would serve as a wake-up call as the tournament approaches the business end.

    “Some good learning from this for us hopefully. A loss for this is not what a team wants but sometimes you need a little reminder to keep turning up every game and keep doing our best. These low totals, you want to make use of the Powerplay. So for me and Quinton (de Kock), it was about getting the team off to a good start, not necessarily getting off to a 60-run powerplay, but at least get to 35 or 45 without losing too many wickets would have been ideal and set us up.

    “Because we knew the pitch was going to grip a bit and scoring runs after the powerplay and hitting boundaries might be difficult so we took a few chances that didn’t come off. In the middle, we knew that their spinners will be difficult to score off, but having said that we have to find ways to score runs against good opposition on tricky pitches. That’s something that we need to learn and figure out,” he added.

  • Quinton de Kock’s 50, bowlers take LSG closer to playoff berth with crushing victory over KKR

    By PTI

    PUNE: Quinton de Kock laid the platform with a commanding fifty and his pacers then terrorised Kolkata Knight Riders to record a crushing 75-run victory for Lucknow Super Giants which put them on top of the table with an IPL play-off berth being a formality now.

    For last year’s runners-up KKR, eight points from 11 games with a deflating negative run-rate now puts them closer to the exit door with lacklustre performance and unimaginative captaincy combining for what has turned out to be a disastrous season so far.

    Invited to bat, De Kock slammed a 29-ball-50 but Lucknow almost frittered away a solid start before some lusty hitting in a 30-run penultimate over off Shivam Mavi took them to 176 for 7.

    The LSG bowlers then raised to the occasion to bundle out KKR for 101 in 14.3 overs, despite the heroics of Andre Russell (45 off 19 balls) to gather two crucial points and take their overall total to 16 points in the IPL standing.

    KKR remained at the 8th spot after suffering their 7th loss in 11 games.

    Defending 177, LSG left KKR tottering at 25 for four with four bowlers picking up their first wickets.

    While Mohsin produced a wicket-maiden to get rid of to Baba Indrajith, Chameera sent back Shreyas Iyer after rattling him with a short and quick delivery.

    It has now been an all too familiar script for KKR skipper whose discomfort while facing quick bouncers is well-documented and national coach Rahul Dravid would only be worried with this glaring technical deficiency.

    Aaron Finch too perished as his miscued pull was poached by de Kock as KKR slipped to 23 for 3 in the first six overs.

    Nitish Rana was then cleaned up by Avesh Khan with a yorker as KKR looked down the barrels.

    Russell then used his brute force to hit Holder all across the park.

    One was whacked at midwicket for a maximum, the second one was slapped to deep, while a flat-batted pull earned him another six and the last one was a four over short third.

    After amassing 25 off the Holder over, Russell produced another maximum off Ravi Bishnoi as KKR reached 64 for 4 in 10 overs.

    He and Sunil Narine (22 off 12) produced a small partnership but once Russell was out to Avesh Khan in the 13th over, it became a downward slide for KKR as they folded in 14.3 overs.

    Avesh and Holder returned with three wickets each.

    Earlier, De Kock, who was involved in a terrible mix up with skipper KL Rahul, who got a ‘Diamond Duck’ (out for 0 without facing a ball), redeemed himself with an innings studded with four boundaries and three maximums.

    He added 71 with Deepak Hooda (41 off 27 balls) to give LSG a good start after being invited to bat.

    Hooda made up for the loss of Rahul’s with his back to-back boundaries over extra cover off Shivam Mavi (1/50 in 4 overs), while De Kock too joined in with a special treatment to Tim Southee, clobbering him for two fours and a six in the 3rd over.

    Left-arm spinner Anukul Roy and pacer Harshit Rana were next in line as De Kock smashed the former for a four before lunching into the latter for a four and two sixes to take LSG to their best score in the powerplays this season, a 66 for one.

    De Kock, however, couldn’t stay much longer as he was holed out in deep only two balls after completing his fifty.

    Hooda, who hit four boundariers and two sixes in his entertaining 27-ball knock tat took LSG past 100-run mark before falling to a Andre Russell delivery with his miscued pull ending in safe hands of skipper Shreyas Iyer.

    Krunal Pandya then tried to keep the run-rate high and slammed two fours before ending at the hands of Aaron Finch at deep point.

    The decision to promote Ayush Badoni (15 not out off 18) didn’t bear result as the young Delhi batter was under pressue after a quiet over and couldn’t find his rhythm with runs drying up between 12th to 16th over.

    However, Marcus Stoinis (28 off 14 balls) changed things when he clobbered Mavi for three successive sixes before holing out.

    However, new man Jason Holder (13 off 4 balls) slammed the next two balls for two more maximums as the 19th over yielded 30 runs for LSG.

    In the bowling front, KKR missed the experience of Umesh Yadav, who missed out due to a muscle pull, with Hooda and de Kock going hammer and tongs early on.

    However, Andrew Russell (2/22) was rewarded for bowling back of length , while Sunil Narine (20/1) and Tim Southee (1/28) also kept things tight but the rest of bowlers bled plenty in their stipulated overs.

  • Quinton de Kock’s 50, bowlers take LSG closer to playoff berth with crushing victory over KKR

    By PTI

    PUNE: Quinton de Kock laid the platform with a commanding fifty and his pacers then terrorised Kolkata Knight Riders to record a crushing 75-run victory for Lucknow Super Giants which put them on top of the table with an IPL play-off berth being a formality now.

    For last year’s runners-up KKR, eight points from 11 games with a deflating negative run-rate now puts them closer to the exit door with lacklustre performance and unimaginative captaincy combining for what has turned out to be a disastrous season so far.

    Invited to bat, De Kock slammed a 29-ball-50 but Lucknow almost frittered away a solid start before some lusty hitting in a 30-run penultimate over off Shivam Mavi took them to 176 for 7.

    The LSG bowlers then raised to the occasion to bundle out KKR for 101 in 14.3 overs, despite the heroics of Andre Russell (45 off 19 balls) to gather two crucial points and take their overall total to 16 points in the IPL standing.

    KKR remained at the 8th spot after suffering their 7th loss in 11 games.

    Defending 177, LSG left KKR tottering at 25 for four with four bowlers picking up their first wickets.

    While Mohsin produced a wicket-maiden to get rid of to Baba Indrajith, Chameera sent back Shreyas Iyer after rattling him with a short and quick delivery.

    It has now been an all too familiar script for KKR skipper whose discomfort while facing quick bouncers is well-documented and national coach Rahul Dravid would only be worried with this glaring technical deficiency.

    Aaron Finch too perished as his miscued pull was poached by de Kock as KKR slipped to 23 for 3 in the first six overs.

    Nitish Rana was then cleaned up by Avesh Khan with a yorker as KKR looked down the barrels.

    Russell then used his brute force to hit Holder all across the park.

    One was whacked at midwicket for a maximum, the second one was slapped to deep, while a flat-batted pull earned him another six and the last one was a four over short third.

    After amassing 25 off the Holder over, Russell produced another maximum off Ravi Bishnoi as KKR reached 64 for 4 in 10 overs.

    He and Sunil Narine (22 off 12) produced a small partnership but once Russell was out to Avesh Khan in the 13th over, it became a downward slide for KKR as they folded in 14.3 overs.

    Avesh and Holder returned with three wickets each.

    Earlier, De Kock, who was involved in a terrible mix up with skipper KL Rahul, who got a ‘Diamond Duck’ (out for 0 without facing a ball), redeemed himself with an innings studded with four boundaries and three maximums.

    He added 71 with Deepak Hooda (41 off 27 balls) to give LSG a good start after being invited to bat.

    Hooda made up for the loss of Rahul’s with his back to-back boundaries over extra cover off Shivam Mavi (1/50 in 4 overs), while De Kock too joined in with a special treatment to Tim Southee, clobbering him for two fours and a six in the 3rd over.

    Left-arm spinner Anukul Roy and pacer Harshit Rana were next in line as De Kock smashed the former for a four before lunching into the latter for a four and two sixes to take LSG to their best score in the powerplays this season, a 66 for one.

    De Kock, however, couldn’t stay much longer as he was holed out in deep only two balls after completing his fifty.

    Hooda, who hit four boundariers and two sixes in his entertaining 27-ball knock tat took LSG past 100-run mark before falling to a Andre Russell delivery with his miscued pull ending in safe hands of skipper Shreyas Iyer.

    Krunal Pandya then tried to keep the run-rate high and slammed two fours before ending at the hands of Aaron Finch at deep point.

    The decision to promote Ayush Badoni (15 not out off 18) didn’t bear result as the young Delhi batter was under pressue after a quiet over and couldn’t find his rhythm with runs drying up between 12th to 16th over.

    However, Marcus Stoinis (28 off 14 balls) changed things when he clobbered Mavi for three successive sixes before holing out.

    However, new man Jason Holder (13 off 4 balls) slammed the next two balls for two more maximums as the 19th over yielded 30 runs for LSG.

    In the bowling front, KKR missed the experience of Umesh Yadav, who missed out due to a muscle pull, with Hooda and de Kock going hammer and tongs early on.

    However, Andrew Russell (2/22) was rewarded for bowling back of length , while Sunil Narine (20/1) and Tim Southee (1/28) also kept things tight but the rest of bowlers bled plenty in their stipulated overs.

    PUNE: Quinton de Kock laid the platform with a commanding fifty and his pacers then terrorised Kolkata Knight Riders to record a crushing 75-run victory for Lucknow Super Giants which put them on top of the table with an IPL play-off berth being a formality now.

    For last year’s runners-up KKR, eight points from 11 games with a deflating negative run-rate now puts them closer to the exit door with lacklustre performance and unimaginative captaincy combining for what has turned out to be a disastrous season so far.

    Invited to bat, De Kock slammed a 29-ball-50 but Lucknow almost frittered away a solid start before some lusty hitting in a 30-run penultimate over off Shivam Mavi took them to 176 for 7.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The LSG bowlers then raised to the occasion to bundle out KKR for 101 in 14.3 overs, despite the heroics of Andre Russell (45 off 19 balls) to gather two crucial points and take their overall total to 16 points in the IPL standing.

    KKR remained at the 8th spot after suffering their 7th loss in 11 games.

    Defending 177, LSG left KKR tottering at 25 for four with four bowlers picking up their first wickets.

    While Mohsin produced a wicket-maiden to get rid of to Baba Indrajith, Chameera sent back Shreyas Iyer after rattling him with a short and quick delivery.

    It has now been an all too familiar script for KKR skipper whose discomfort while facing quick bouncers is well-documented and national coach Rahul Dravid would only be worried with this glaring technical deficiency.

    Aaron Finch too perished as his miscued pull was poached by de Kock as KKR slipped to 23 for 3 in the first six overs.

    Nitish Rana was then cleaned up by Avesh Khan with a yorker as KKR looked down the barrels.

    Russell then used his brute force to hit Holder all across the park.

    One was whacked at midwicket for a maximum, the second one was slapped to deep, while a flat-batted pull earned him another six and the last one was a four over short third.

    After amassing 25 off the Holder over, Russell produced another maximum off Ravi Bishnoi as KKR reached 64 for 4 in 10 overs.

    He and Sunil Narine (22 off 12) produced a small partnership but once Russell was out to Avesh Khan in the 13th over, it became a downward slide for KKR as they folded in 14.3 overs.

    Avesh and Holder returned with three wickets each.

    Earlier, De Kock, who was involved in a terrible mix up with skipper KL Rahul, who got a ‘Diamond Duck’ (out for 0 without facing a ball), redeemed himself with an innings studded with four boundaries and three maximums.

    He added 71 with Deepak Hooda (41 off 27 balls) to give LSG a good start after being invited to bat.

    Hooda made up for the loss of Rahul’s with his back to-back boundaries over extra cover off Shivam Mavi (1/50 in 4 overs), while De Kock too joined in with a special treatment to Tim Southee, clobbering him for two fours and a six in the 3rd over.

    Left-arm spinner Anukul Roy and pacer Harshit Rana were next in line as De Kock smashed the former for a four before lunching into the latter for a four and two sixes to take LSG to their best score in the powerplays this season, a 66 for one.

    De Kock, however, couldn’t stay much longer as he was holed out in deep only two balls after completing his fifty.

    Hooda, who hit four boundariers and two sixes in his entertaining 27-ball knock tat took LSG past 100-run mark before falling to a Andre Russell delivery with his miscued pull ending in safe hands of skipper Shreyas Iyer.

    Krunal Pandya then tried to keep the run-rate high and slammed two fours before ending at the hands of Aaron Finch at deep point.

    The decision to promote Ayush Badoni (15 not out off 18) didn’t bear result as the young Delhi batter was under pressue after a quiet over and couldn’t find his rhythm with runs drying up between 12th to 16th over.

    However, Marcus Stoinis (28 off 14 balls) changed things when he clobbered Mavi for three successive sixes before holing out.

    However, new man Jason Holder (13 off 4 balls) slammed the next two balls for two more maximums as the 19th over yielded 30 runs for LSG.

    In the bowling front, KKR missed the experience of Umesh Yadav, who missed out due to a muscle pull, with Hooda and de Kock going hammer and tongs early on.

    However, Andrew Russell (2/22) was rewarded for bowling back of length , while Sunil Narine (20/1) and Tim Southee (1/28) also kept things tight but the rest of bowlers bled plenty in their stipulated overs.

  • LSG take a step towards play-offs as Mohsin Khan, KL Rahul star in six-run win over Delhi Capitals

    Express News Service

    CHENNAI: Ever since he missed the 2017 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to a shoulder injury, KL Rahul has set the stage on fire on his return. On Sunday, with his 51-ball 77, the Lucknow Super Giants skipper not only helped his side post a daunting total of 195/3 against Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai but also crossed the 400-run mark for the fifth consecutive season. 

    In the end, the target proved more than enough for the Rishabh Pant-led side as they responded with 189/7, losing the match by six runs. The win also helped Lucknow leapfrog Rajasthan Royals to be placed second on the table with 14 points from 10 matches.

    Opting to bat first, Rahul, along with his opening partner Quinton de Kock, gave the team a flying start scoring 42 from 4.2 overs before the latter departed after a quick-fire 23 off just 13 balls. The Karnataka batter then joined forces with Deepak Hooda (52 off 34 balls), adding 95 runs for the second wicket and more importantly, nullifying the spin threat posed by the DC troika of Kuldeep Yadav, Lalit Yadav and Axar Patel, who went wicketless. The trio conceded 70 runs from a combined eight overs they bowled during the innings.

    Given his form with the willow over the past five seasons since 2018 (2999 runs from 65 matches so far), Rahul can aptly be termed as Mr Consistent of the cash-rich league. He had finished in the top-3 of leading run-getters from 2018 to 2021 winning the Orange Cap in the 2020 edition. In the ongoing edition, he is placed second behind Rajasthan’s Jos Buttler (566, 9 matches) with 451 runs from 10 matches including two centuries and as many half-centuries.

    If Rahul and Hooda starred with the bat for the Lucknow franchise against Delhi, it was Uttar Pradesh’s left-arm medium-pacer Mohsin Khan, who impressed with the ball. Opening the bowling for his side, the 23-year-old Mohsin claimed 4/16 from his four overs including the important wickets of David Warner (3), Pant (44) and Rovman Powell (35). He was later adjudged player of the match for his brilliant spell.At one stage, Pant and Powell were threatening to run away with the game as the latter hit Krishnappa Gowtham for two consecutive sixes and a four, plundering 18 runs from the 12th over of the innings. 

    Mohsin then castled the Delhi skipper in the next over with a fuller delivery. Pant’s departure, however, didn’t slow down the Jamaican, who continued scoring at a brisk pace. 

    With 50 needed off the last four overs, Mohsin once again did the trick as he bowled a short cutter angling across to finish just outside off. The West Indian tried to clear the longer leg-side boundary only to find Krunal Pandya at the deep midwicket. He then accounted for Shardul Thakur in the same over, almost sealing the deal for his side.

    Axar (42 not out) and Kuldeep (16 not out) though used the long handle to good effect towards the end but their efforts could not bring the desired result for the team. Needing 21 from the last over, Kuldeep hit Marcus Stoinis’ first delivery for a six, raising some hopes in the process. However, the Aussie and Lucknow held nerves to come out triumphant.

    Brief Scores: Lucknow Super Giants 195/3 in 20 overs (Rahul 77, Hooda 52; Thakur 3/40) bt Delhi Capitals 189/7 in overs (Pant 44, Axar 42 n.o, Powell 35; Mohsin 4/16)

    CHENNAI: Ever since he missed the 2017 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to a shoulder injury, KL Rahul has set the stage on fire on his return. On Sunday, with his 51-ball 77, the Lucknow Super Giants skipper not only helped his side post a daunting total of 195/3 against Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai but also crossed the 400-run mark for the fifth consecutive season. 

    In the end, the target proved more than enough for the Rishabh Pant-led side as they responded with 189/7, losing the match by six runs. The win also helped Lucknow leapfrog Rajasthan Royals to be placed second on the table with 14 points from 10 matches.

    Opting to bat first, Rahul, along with his opening partner Quinton de Kock, gave the team a flying start scoring 42 from 4.2 overs before the latter departed after a quick-fire 23 off just 13 balls. The Karnataka batter then joined forces with Deepak Hooda (52 off 34 balls), adding 95 runs for the second wicket and more importantly, nullifying the spin threat posed by the DC troika of Kuldeep Yadav, Lalit Yadav and Axar Patel, who went wicketless. The trio conceded 70 runs from a combined eight overs they bowled during the innings.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

    Given his form with the willow over the past five seasons since 2018 (2999 runs from 65 matches so far), Rahul can aptly be termed as Mr Consistent of the cash-rich league. He had finished in the top-3 of leading run-getters from 2018 to 2021 winning the Orange Cap in the 2020 edition. In the ongoing edition, he is placed second behind Rajasthan’s Jos Buttler (566, 9 matches) with 451 runs from 10 matches including two centuries and as many half-centuries.

    If Rahul and Hooda starred with the bat for the Lucknow franchise against Delhi, it was Uttar Pradesh’s left-arm medium-pacer Mohsin Khan, who impressed with the ball. Opening the bowling for his side, the 23-year-old Mohsin claimed 4/16 from his four overs including the important wickets of David Warner (3), Pant (44) and Rovman Powell (35). He was later adjudged player of the match for his brilliant spell.
    At one stage, Pant and Powell were threatening to run away with the game as the latter hit Krishnappa Gowtham for two consecutive sixes and a four, plundering 18 runs from the 12th over of the innings. 

    Mohsin then castled the Delhi skipper in the next over with a fuller delivery. Pant’s departure, however, didn’t slow down the Jamaican, who continued scoring at a brisk pace. 

    With 50 needed off the last four overs, Mohsin once again did the trick as he bowled a short cutter angling across to finish just outside off. The West Indian tried to clear the longer leg-side boundary only to find Krunal Pandya at the deep midwicket. He then accounted for Shardul Thakur in the same over, almost sealing the deal for his side.

    Axar (42 not out) and Kuldeep (16 not out) though used the long handle to good effect towards the end but their efforts could not bring the desired result for the team. Needing 21 from the last over, Kuldeep hit Marcus Stoinis’ first delivery for a six, raising some hopes in the process. However, the Aussie and Lucknow held nerves to come out triumphant.

    Brief Scores: Lucknow Super Giants 195/3 in 20 overs (Rahul 77, Hooda 52; Thakur 3/40) bt Delhi Capitals 189/7 in overs (Pant 44, Axar 42 n.o, Powell 35; Mohsin 4/16)

  • LSG take a step towards play-offs as Mohsin Khan, KL Rahul star in six-run win over Delhi Capitals

    Express News Service

    CHENNAI: Ever since he missed the 2017 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to a shoulder injury, KL Rahul has set the stage on fire on his return. On Sunday, with his 51-ball 77, the Lucknow Super Giants skipper not only helped his side post a daunting total of 195/3 against Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai but also crossed the 400-run mark for the fifth consecutive season. 

    In the end, the target proved more than enough for the Rishabh Pant-led side as they responded with 189/7, losing the match by six runs. The win also helped Lucknow leapfrog Rajasthan Royals to be placed second on the table with 14 points from 10 matches.

    Opting to bat first, Rahul, along with his opening partner Quinton de Kock, gave the team a flying start scoring 42 from 4.2 overs before the latter departed after a quick-fire 23 off just 13 balls. The Karnataka batter then joined forces with Deepak Hooda (52 off 34 balls), adding 95 runs for the second wicket and more importantly, nullifying the spin threat posed by the DC troika of Kuldeep Yadav, Lalit Yadav and Axar Patel, who went wicketless. The trio conceded 70 runs from a combined eight overs they bowled during the innings.

    Given his form with the willow over the past five seasons since 2018 (2999 runs from 65 matches so far), Rahul can aptly be termed as Mr Consistent of the cash-rich league. He had finished in the top-3 of leading run-getters from 2018 to 2021 winning the Orange Cap in the 2020 edition. In the ongoing edition, he is placed second behind Rajasthan’s Jos Buttler (566, 9 matches) with 451 runs from 10 matches including two centuries and as many half-centuries.

    If Rahul and Hooda starred with the bat for the Lucknow franchise against Delhi, it was Uttar Pradesh’s left-arm medium-pacer Mohsin Khan, who impressed with the ball. Opening the bowling for his side, the 23-year-old Mohsin claimed 4/16 from his four overs including the important wickets of David Warner (3), Pant (44) and Rovman Powell (35). He was later adjudged player of the match for his brilliant spell.At one stage, Pant and Powell were threatening to run away with the game as the latter hit Krishnappa Gowtham for two consecutive sixes and a four, plundering 18 runs from the 12th over of the innings. 

    Mohsin then castled the Delhi skipper in the next over with a fuller delivery. Pant’s departure, however, didn’t slow down the Jamaican, who continued scoring at a brisk pace. 

    With 50 needed off the last four overs, Mohsin once again did the trick as he bowled a short cutter angling across to finish just outside off. The West Indian tried to clear the longer leg-side boundary only to find Krunal Pandya at the deep midwicket. He then accounted for Shardul Thakur in the same over, almost sealing the deal for his side.

    Axar (42 not out) and Kuldeep (16 not out) though used the long handle to good effect towards the end but their efforts could not bring the desired result for the team. Needing 21 from the last over, Kuldeep hit Marcus Stoinis’ first delivery for a six, raising some hopes in the process. However, the Aussie and Lucknow held nerves to come out triumphant.

    Brief Scores: Lucknow Super Giants 195/3 in 20 overs (Rahul 77, Hooda 52; Thakur 3/40) bt Delhi Capitals 189/7 in overs (Pant 44, Axar 42 n.o, Powell 35; Mohsin 4/16)