Royal Challengers Bengaluru remained at the ninth position in the IPL 2024 points table after suffering a defeat against Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday. Young fast bowler Mayank Yadav was once again in top form, while Quinton De Kock’s brilliant stroke guided LSG to a win, moving them up to fourth position. Rajasthan Royals are currently at the top of the points table with 6 points and the best Net Run Rate (NRR) in the league, followed by Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings. KKR will have a brilliant opportunity to top the table when they face Delhi Capitals on Wednesday.
Quinton de Kock’s astute fifty and pace sensation Mayank Yadav’s youthful brilliance anchored Lucknow Super Giants’ 28-run romp over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL match.
Lucknow constructed their 181 for five around Quinton De Kock’s 81 (56b) and Nicholas Pooran’s unbeaten 40 (21b).
RCB miraculously threatened to bowl 182 short through Mahipal Lomror, who produced a powerful 33 off 13 balls.
However, Mayank’s torrid three-wicket haul (3/14) could not be denied as the hosts were dismissed for 153.
But in reality, RCB’s chase never really took off – partly due to their own follies and partly due to the excellence of Lucknow’s bowlers.
Lucknow opened the bowling with two spinners – Manimaran Siddharth and Krunal Pandya – and did surprise Faf du Plessis (19 off 13) and Virat Kohli (22 off 16).
But with the introduction of pacer Naveen-ul-Haq, Kohli upped the ante and smoked it over the bowler’s head for six.
Left-arm spinner Siddharth soon took the huge wicket of the in-form Kohli as the latter’s attempt to go inside out resulted in an easy catch for Devdutt Padikkal at backward point.
RCB went on a slide from then on, losing skipper du Plessis, to a mindless run-out, Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green, and found themselves at 58 for four in the eighth over.
This was when Mayank upped the pace in his three-over spell (3-0-13-2).
Maxwell tried to pull a 151km/h laser from Mayank but the fast pace prevented the Australian from timing his pull, resulting in an easy catch for Pooran at short mid-wicket.
Green was beaten by Mayank’s raw pace as the delivery straightened a bit after pitching at the right length to rattle his off-stump.
The right-armer later added Rajat Patidar (27) to his kitty to reduce RCB to 103 for six and the home side then slumped quickly.
Earlier, De Kock showed his exceptional batting skills with a fifty, but Lucknow could not get further than a par score.
The left-hander selected the bowlers and positions around the ground to play his shots with precision, but the RCB bowlers did not allow other batsmen, except Pooran, a free run.
The Super Giants were quick off the block reaching 32 for no loss in three overs and then made it 54 in the Power Play.
Most runs came from De Kock, who especially had a preference for pacer Mohammed Siraj.
The South African hit him for three sixes – two in succession – across two overs – two powerful pulls and a neat loft over mid-wicket.
KL Rahul, who captained the side after coming in as an impact sub against Punjab Kings in the previous match, slowly started making six runs off his first ten balls.
But a six off left-arm pacer Yash Dayal gave his innings momentum and later he dismissed spinner Maxwell for a six.
However, Rahul was soon killed when an attempt to pull Maxwell’s good length delivery landed in the palms of Mayank Dagar in the circle.
The second substantial alliance in LSG innings followed the departure of Devdutt Padikkal as De Kock and Marcus Stoinis (24, 15b) added 56 runs off 30 balls for the third wicket.
De Kock, who brought up his fifty in 36 balls, kept his target going during this alliance as Stoinis hammered a six each off Maxwell and Green as LSG rolled on.
But the blossoming partnership ended when Stoinis’ half-hearted swat was punched in the pocket by Dagar at one point. De Kock soon left and brought Reece Topley to Dagar long ago.
The LSG at that stage were 143 for four in 16.3 overs and needed a few more runs to reach safer shores.
Pooran, who shared left-armer Topley’s three sixes in a row in the 19th over and two more maximums in the final over off Mohammed Siraj, gave them that in his final attack.
(With PTI inputs)
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