Lucknow Super Giants pulled off a thrilling one-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL match at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Monday, thanks to a blistering knock by Nicholas Pooran.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, RCB had a solid start with Virat Kohli smashing 61 runs in 44 balls. Glenn Maxwell followed Kohli with a quickfire 59 in just 29 balls, and Faf du Plessis remained unbeaten on 79 in 46 balls. RCB posted 212/3 in their allotted 20 overs, with 15 sixes in their innings.
In the chase, Lucknow lost three wickets in the first four overs and was struggling at 43/3 at the end of the 7th over. But Marcus Stoinis’ 65 off 30 balls and Nicholas Pooran’s sensational knock of 62 off just 19 balls helped LSG stay in the hunt. Pooran’s innings were particularly spectacular, with him hitting a fifty in just 15 balls – the fastest in the tournament so far.
Former cricketers praised Pooran’s innings, with Murali Karthik calling it a “spectacular innings” and Sanjay Manjrekar saying that Pooran was a “batter from another planet.” LSG ultimately won the game, but RCB’s bowling once again exposed their frailty as they failed to defend what appeared to be a winning total.
What a thrilling game it was! No target is safe at the Chinnaswamy, and RCB has once again felt the curse of their bowling. The game had everything – a vintage knock from Virat Kohli in the powerplay, a massive six from Faf that traveled 115 meters, and Glenn Maxwell’s return to form. And that was just the first innings! In the chase, LSG lost Mayers early, but Marcus Stoinis brought them back into the contest with some power-hitting.
Nicholas Pooran then came in and showed why he’s worth so much, smashing the fastest fifty of the season in just 15 balls. Ayush Badoni also played his part but was dismissed after playing a crucial shot. The hosts kept fighting, but Harshal’s failed run-out attempt prevented the game from going into a Super Over.
RCB vs LSG Full Scored
| Lucknow Super Giants | 213/9 Overs (20.0) |
| BATTER | R | B | 4S | 6S | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Mayers | b Mohammed Siraj | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| K L Rahul (c) | c Virat Kohli b Mohammed Siraj | 18 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 90.00 |
| Deepak Hooda | c Dinesh Karthik b Wayne Parnell | 9 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 90.00 |
| Krunal Pandya | c Dinesh Karthik b Wayne Parnell | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Marcus Stoinis | c Shahbaz Ahmed b Karn Sharma | 65 | 30 | 6 | 5 | 216.67 |
| Nicholas Pooran (wk) | c Shahbaz Ahmed b Mohammed Siraj | 62 | 19 | 4 | 7 | 326.32 |
| Ayush Badoni | Hit Wicket b Wayne Parnell | 30 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 125.00 |
| Jaydev Unadkat | c Faf Du Plessis b Harshal Patel | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 128.57 |
| Mark Wood | b Harshal Patel | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Ravi Bishnoi | not out | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 150.00 |
| Avesh Khan | not out | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | ( nb 0, w 9, b 1, lb 6, pen ) | 16 |
DID NOT BAT: Amit Mishra
Impact Player Replaced Player Concussion Substitute
| BOWLER | O | R | W | ECO | DOTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Siraj | 4 | 22 | 3 | 5.5 | 16 |
| David Willey | 4 | 32 | 0 | 8 | 6 |
| Wayne Parnell | 4 | 41 | 3 | 10.25 | 6 |
| Harshal Patel | 4 | 48 | 2 | 12 | 5 |
| Karn Sharma | 3 | 48 | 1 | 16 | 5 |
| Shahbaz Ahmed | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 212/2 Overs (20.0) |
| BATTER | R | B | 4S | 6S | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | c Marcus Stoinis b Amit Mishra | 61 | 44 | 4 | 4 | 138.64 |
| Faf Du Plessis (c) | not out | 79 | 46 | 5 | 5 | 171.74 |
| Glenn Maxwell | b Mark Wood | 59 | 29 | 3 | 6 | 203.45 |
| Dinesh Karthik (wk) | not out | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | ( nb 0, w 4, b 0, lb 8, pen ) | 12 |
DID NOT BAT: Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, David Willey, Wayne Parnell, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Anuj Rawat, Karn Sharma
Impact Player Replaced Player Concussion Substitute
| BOWLER | O | R | W | ECO | DOTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaydev Unadkat | 2 | 27 | 0 | 13.5 | 3 |
| Avesh Khan | 4 | 53 | 0 | 13.25 | 8 |
| Krunal Pandya | 4 | 35 | 0 | 8.75 | 5 |
| Mark Wood | 4 | 32 | 1 | 8 | 12 |
| Ravi Bishnoi | 4 | 39 | 0 | 9.75 | 5 |
| Amit Mishra | 2 | 18 | 1 | 9 | 2 |
| Teams | Match | Won | Lost | Tied | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucknow Super Giants | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | +1.048 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | +2.067 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | +1.313 |
| Gujarat Titans | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | +0.431 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | +0.356 |
| Punjab Kings | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -0.235 |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -0.800 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -1.502 |
| Mumbai Indians | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -1.394 |
| Delhi Capitals | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -2.092 |
The game was surreal, and if only Harshal Patel had flicked at the non-striker’s stumps with more precision or DK hadn’t fumbled the last ball, the game might have ended differently. The past two days have seen two stunning last over, last ball finishes, and the IPL is truly alive. We hope for another close contest tomorrow when Delhi Capitals host Mumbai Indians. Join us then, but for now, this is Saurabh Shankar signing off on behalf of Kumar Abhisekh Das, Abhinand Raghavendran, and Siva.
(Like our Facebook page for the latest posts, as well as follow us on Twitter.)