Lucknow Super Giants clinched a thrilling one-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 15th match of the Indian Premier League 2023 (IPL) at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Monday (April 10). Batting first, Royal Challengers Bangalore posted a big total of 212/2 with Faf du Plessis top-scoring with 79* off 46. But, Lucknow made a late comeback with Nicholas Pooran smashing 62 off 19 and Marcus Stoinis adding a quick 65 runs to walk away with two valuable points which propelled Lucknow to the top of the points table.
Virat Kohli and Faf pulled off another great start for Bangalore at home with the former taking charge. Kohli registered his second fifty of the season to score 61 off 44 before getting out on Amit Mishra's delivery in the 12th over. Then, Glenn Maxwell and Faf further hammered the Super Giants' bowling attack with quick fifties and helped RCB post a big total.
Mohammed Siraj and Wayne Parnell gave Bangalore a sensational start with early wickets and it seemed like a potential heavy win for the hosts. But, Stoinis balanced the game by recording 65 off 30 and then Pooran shifted the momentum towards Lucknow by registering a 15-ball fifty, the joint-second fastest in the tournament's history. Ayush Badoni added a crucial 30 off 29 to drag Lucknow further closer to the target but Harshal Patel took two wickets in the last over to take the game to the wire. Avesh Khan managed to stand his ground as he pulled off a single on a leg bye to complete a run of the last ball to fetch a thrilling win.
Let's look at the Talking Points from the game-
Another flop show from KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda
Lucknow Super Giants managed to clinch two crucial points and topped the IPL points table with three wins. Despite a positive outcome, KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda's struggles for the big knocks continue. Hooda added just nine off ten while playing at no.3 and now has a cumulative score of 35 runs from four innings this season.
Rahul scored 18 off 20 as he clearly struggled for the big shots to accelerate the innings. He managed to hit just one four and got dismissed while attempting a biggie. Rahul has scored 81 runs from four innings in IPL 2023 at a poor strike rate of 100.00 with just one six so far.
Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis enter the Orange Cap race
It was a hard defeat for Royal Challengers after putting in an amazing display while batting first. Faf remained unbeaten at 79 runs and has cumulatively scored 175 runs from three innings this season. Kohli, who smashed 82* against Mumbai Indians in the first game, after the innings against Lucknow, has 164 runs to his name in IPL 2023. It's a little early to predict the Orange Cap winner but both the stars have entered the race alongside current contenders Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jos Buttler, and David Warner.
Stoinis and Pooran emerging as proven match-winners for LSG
The overseas duo has time and again bailed LSG out to emerge as tested match-winners for the team. This time, it wasn't any different either. Pooran hit the joint-second fastest fifty in the history of the tournament to completely shift the momentum in LSG's favour. The proceedings were started by Stoinis when he relieved LSG of a crunch situation that the KL Rahul-led side was initially in after losing three early wickets. Stoinis scored a 30-ball 65 and Pooran recorded 62 runs off a mere 19 deliveries to take LSG home.
Losing captain, Faf du Plessis said
Disappointed. They played well through the middle. One ball one run. We backed ourselves to get a run-out. Just looking at the wicket, from 7-14 it was quite slower. The last five overs it started skidding on. Really good for some good cricketing shots. Stoinis and Pooran played everything off the middle. They took on one of our main bowler (Harshal) in his first couple of overs. It is a difficult place to bowl at the death. You have to be on top of your game. I was struggling for most part of my innings. Was happy to give strike back to Kohli, sometimes you have to scratch. When I started hitting a few of the middle I got my flow back.
Winning captain, KL Rahul said
Unbelievable. This is the Chinnaswamy, only venue where so many last-ball finishes are possible. From the position we were in, to end up winning it, is superb. We had to go hard and the ball swung early, and they got 2-3 wickets to put the pressure on us. The only reason we got two points today is for the way the lower order batted. Not ideal for me, I want to score more runs and get the strike rate up as well. We've played on two tough Lucknow wickets, and today we lost 3 wickets so I went slower. I wanted to stay till the end and play with Nicky. Batting 5 ,6, 7 is the toughest positions to play and that's where games are won and lost. We know about the power in Marcus and Nicky, and Ayush has come along as well. He's played 2-3 knocks last year, and he's continued to perform well for us.
Player of the Match, Nicholas Pooran said
I want to dedicate this performance to my wife and new born. We knew that the game was on, Stoinis and KL had a wonderful partnership. Stoinis kept us in the game and I knew this was a nice wicket. We could chase even over 50 in the last four, it was about cashing in. The second ball I came in and smashed a six. It isn't about getting a look in, if it is in my slot then I will smash it for six. Over the past couple of years, I've put a lot of pressure on myself to finish games. Today also I wanted to finish the game, but got out in the end. I hope this is the season for me, in a good space and state of mind. Just want to enjoy my cricket, play with a smile and entertain, and win games for my team.
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