LSG vs KKR: Lucknow rose up the ladder & removed the sword of elimination hanging over them by defeating Kolkata Knight Riders by one run in their last league stage fixture. And with this narrow victory, they are now qualified for the IPL 2023 Playoffs.
Lucknow managed to post a decent total on Board
Batting first, Lucknow Super Giants got off to a poor start as they lost the wicket of Karan Sharma for just three runs. But then the unexpected happened with Quinton De Kock & Prerak Mankad stitching a rewarding 41-run stand for the second wicket. De Kock played a brief cameo of 28 runs off 27 balls while Prerak Mankad scored 26 runs off 20 balls. The duo took Lucknow Super Giants total above the 50-run mark within six overs.
However, after their dismissal, there was a collapse with Stoinis (0) & Krunal (9) walking back to the pavilion without creating a mark. Nicholas Pooran & Ayush Badoni in the lineup meant that Lucknow are away from a dire situation. The duo stitched a rewarding 74-run stand to keep LSG’s scoreboard ticking. Pooran scored 58 runs off 38 balls while Badoni amassed 25 runs off 21 balls. In teh end, Krishnappa Gowtham played a quick cameo of 11 runs to help LSG end their innings at 176 runs. For Kolkata, Shardul Thakur (two for 27) and Sunil Narine (two for 28) were the pick of the bowlers.
Rinku Singh’s blistering Knock couldn’t take KKR over the line
In reply, KKR who had an impossible task of chasing the target within 8.5 overs to keep themselves alive in the Playoffs were all blazing guns right from the first ball they faced. Their openers Jason Roy smashed 45 runs off 28 balls while Venkatesh smashed 24 runs off 15 balls to give KKR a confident start. The duo stitched a swashbuckling 61-run stand for the first wicket & skyrocketed their scoreboard. But by the 10th over KKR lost three wickets & found themselves reeling at 82-3. They were losing wickets one after the other & were struggling at 120-5. Rana (8 off 10), Gurbaz ( 10 off 15) & Russell (7 off 9) all failed to convert their start into a good score. It was Rinku Singh who kept up their hopes by smashing regular fours & sixes at one end.
He kept fighting till the last ball of the innings but failed to guide KKR over the line. He smashed 67 runs in 33 balls in innings backed with six fours & four sixes & kept KKR in the chase till the last over. Rinku smashed three fours & one six in the 19th over & went on to smash 2 sixes & one four in the final over. Despite such a thundering performance, Rinku Singh fell one run short of the target in the end. As a result, KKR got eliminated from the Playoffs after fighting like a warrior, thanks to Rinku Singh. And with this win, LSG entered the top four & is gearing up for the Playoff Stage. For LSG Ravi Bishnoi (2-23) & Yash Thakur starred with the ball (2-31) by returning with figures of two wickets each.
KKR vs LSG: Brief Scores
Lucknow Super Giants 176-8 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 58, Sunil Narine 2-28, Vaibhav Arora 2-30) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 175-7 in 20 overs (Rinku Singh 67*, Jason Roy 45, Ravi Bishnoi 2-23, Yash Thakur 2-31) by 1 run
Also read, CSK Vs DC: CSK Qualifies For Playoffs By Defeating Delhi
