Lucknow beat Delhi by six wickets at the D Y Patil Stadium on Thursday, thanks to a disciplined bowling performance and a good knock by Quinton de Kock (80 off 52).
Despite Prithvi Shaw’s aggressive fifty, Lucknow beat Delhi by producing a disciplined bowling performance to restrict Delhi Capitals to 149/3 in 20 overs after winning the toss and deciding to bowl first (61 off 34). Despite a few snags near the end, Lucknow beat Delhi convincingly and successfully chased down the mark, reaching 155/4 in 19.4 overs to clinch their third win in four matches.
K.L Rahul and Quinton de Kock, chasing a modest target, made a cautious start for Lucknow and were 26/0 in four overs. However, the addition of Anrich Nortje shifted the tide in favour of LSG.
Nortje, who had been out of action for a long time due to injury, was not at his best, and De Kock, a Proteas teammate, hammered the pacer for 19 runs in his over. In the powerplay, the left-handed batter and Rahul led LSG to a 48-0 lead.
After the first six overs, Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant used spin from both ends, but LSG were still in command of the game. Kuldeep Yadav eventually drew the first blood for Delhi by bowling Rahul for 24 runs.
De Kock didn’t let the asking rate rise by scoring his fifty off 36 balls, narrowing the equation to 66 off 50 balls, despite Lewis’ struggles to bat freely.
LSG were in command, but Lalit Yadav’s five-run dismissal of Evin Lewis dragged Delhi back into the game. Despite the fact that wickets were falling at the other end, eventually Lucknow beat Delhi as De Kock kept his cool and guided the side to victory with a 36-run third-wicket stand with Deepak Hooda (11).
Lucknow were in command, but there was some drama in the 16th over when Nortje was removed from the attack after delivering his second delivery beyond waist height. Pant walked to Kuldeep after some debate and discussion, and Quinton de Kock swiftly sent him for two boundaries. With LSG needing 28 off 25 balls, Kuldeep had the last laugh when he had de Kock caught by Sarfaraz Khan at short third man.
Mustafizur and Shardul Thakur, Delhi’s bowlers, then let up just nine runs in the next two overs, bringing the total to 19 runs off 12 balls. The game was in a perfect state of equilibrium.
Krunal Pandya, on the other hand, struck Mustafizur for a six in the 19th over, bringing LSG closer to the DC target. Hooda was bowled in the first ball of the last over by LSG, but Pandya (19 not out off 14) and Ayush Badoni (10 not out off 3) kept their cool, remained unbeaten, and guided Lucknow to victory with two balls to spare and six wickets in hand.
Earlier, when Lucknow was given the opportunity to bat first, the new opening pair of Prithvi Shaw and David Warner got the team off to a flying start, taking them to 52-0 in the powerplay. Shaw got 47 runs out of the 52, while Warner was a spectator at the other end.
Lucknow, on the other hand, made a stunning comeback in the game by collecting up quick wickets. By removing the dangerous Shaw, Krishnappa Gowtham gave LSG its maiden wicket.
Gowtham adjusted his angle and went around the wicket after being struck for a six and four in the first two balls of his over. Shaw (61) was caught behind by the spinner’s wide delivery. Ravi Bishnoi got rid of Warner in the next over, limiting him to four runs off 12 balls in his first IPL 2022 appearance.
After that, skipper Rishabh Pant and Rovman Powell joined Rovman Powell at the crease, and they batted cautiously against the LSG spinners. Powell (3), in particular, was struggling to keep the ball in the middle, and his battle was stopped by Bishnoi.
From there, Sarfaraz Khan, who was making his DC debut, and Pant worked to reestablish their team’s batting order. It wasn’t easy, though, as LSG spinners bowled terrific line and length, and DC’s runs were dwindling.
Pant, however, chose to shift gears after spending some time in the middle and smacked Andrew Tye for two sixes and a four, helping Delhi break the 100-run barrier in the 16th over. Sarfaraz Khan, his partner, joined the party and scored 13 runs off Avesh Khan to put Delhi back in the game and finally Lucknow beat Delhi.
The Lucknow pacers, Avesh and Jason Holder, exploited their variations to perfection in the last three overs, allowing only 19 runs to be scored. Pant (39 not out off 36 balls) and Sarfaraz (36 not out off 28 balls) gave it their all, but they couldn’t timing the ball effectively, and Delhi ended up with 149/3 in 20 overs.
Ravi Bishnoi (2/22) was Lucknow’s most successful bowler, with Krishnappa Gowtham (1/23) taking one wicket as well which turned the tide as Lucknow beat Delhi in the game.
Lucknow beat Delhi in 19.4 overs (Quinton de Kock 80, K.L Rahul 24; Kuldeep Yadav (2/31) defeated Delhi Capitals 149-3 in 20 overs (Prithvi Shaw 61, Rishabh Pant 39 not out; Ravi Bishnoi 2/22) by 6 wickets.
