IPL 2022| LSG confirms play-offs spot with victory over KKR

IPL 2022: Gujarat Titans' skipper Hardik Pandya shakes hands with Lucknow Super Giants' Krunal Pandya ahead of the match on March 28, 2022. The two teams are currently at the top of the tally. (Image credit: @mufaddal_vohra/Twitter)

Lucknow Super Giants returned to their winning ways, albeit a two-run thriller, becoming the second team after Gujarat Titans to confirm their Play Offs spot. With 18 points from all their 14 league matches, whether the KL Rahul-led LSG finish second or third will depend on Rajasthan Royals’ result against Chennai Super Kings at Brabourne Stadium on Friday.

At DY Patil Stadium on Wednesday, LSG pipped Kolkata Knight Riders in a high-scoring match, thus knocking out the Shreyas Iyer-led side. KKR, with 12 points from all their engagements, became the third team after Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings to not make the Play Offs.

The match could have been won by KKR. They were in the hunt until the penultimate delivery of the match when Rinku Singh, who hit 18 runs off the first four deliveries in the last over sent down by Marcus Stoinis, off which 21 were needed, was caught brilliantly one handed at deep point by Evin Lewis. With three needed to win, Stoinis yorked Umesh Yadav to leave LSG victors as, after making 210 without loss, they restricted KKR to 208 for eight.

It was a sensational thriller that brought curtains to KKR, who did their best to take the match close.

After choosing to bat with the idea of batting deep and batting KKR out of the contest, LSG achieved their first objective comfortably while they huffed and puffed to fulfil their second goal. Quinton de Kock scored a masterly unbeaten 140 (70 balls, 10x4, 10x6) and shared 210 runs for the unseparated first wicket with captain Rahul, who helped himself to 68 not out (51 balls, 3x4, 4x6).

It was de Kock all the way with Rahul providing the supporting role with great admiration. The South African was given the licence to go after the KKR bowling, which he did, dealing in fours and sixes at will, pulling, sweeping, reverse sweeping and driving with gay abandon.

De Kock and Rahul broke quite a few records along the way. It was the first century stand for LSG for any wicket in IPL. It was also the highest ever opening partnership in IPL history, erasing the 185 between David Warner and Jonny Bairstow for Sunrisers Hyderabad against RCB in 2019.

The two produced the third best for any wicket in 15 years of IPL, after 229 and 215 unbroken between Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers for the second wicket on both the occasions for RCB, the first against Gujarat Lions in 2016 and the other against MI in 2015. Needless to mention, it was the highest for any wicket against KKR.

In staying unconquered, Rahul and de Kock took their total runs in this IPL to 537 and 502 respectively, occupying the second and third positions in the Orange Cap list. It is creditable to Rahul that for the fifth successive edition of IPL, he has gone past 500 runs.

Needing 211 to win, KKR had nothing to lose and everything to gain for. A win would still keep them alive for at least one more day. They had to go after the LSG bowling in order to carve a victory. They did, but just fell two runs short.

Despite losing two early wickets for almost next to nothing, left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan being the wrecker-in-chief, Nitish Rana gave KKR the impetus with a 22-ball 42, dealing only in fours. In one over off Avesh Khan, the fourth of the innings, he hit five fours while he took three against off-spinner K Gowtham’s first over, the sixth of the innings. However, Rana fell to Gowtham in the next over, caught at long off, ending the third wicket stand of 56 in 27 balls with Shreyas Iyer.

Iyer indulged in some lusty hitting, picking fours and sixes at will during his knock of 50 off 29 balls (4x4, 3x6). In the company of Sam Billings, who too chipped in with 36, Iyer shared 66 in 40 balls for the fourth wicket. However, their dismissals while going for big hits, and they had no other option but to go for it, and Andre Russell falling early to a neat catch at the boundary line spelt curtains for KKR in this IPL.

Or so, everyone thought, until Rinku Singh played a blinder, scoring 50 from just 15 balls, cashing in on the loose deliveries and short balls from Avesh Khan in the 18th over, Jason Holder in the 19th and Marcus Stoinis in the 20th before that sensational catch by Lewis followed by a yorker on the off-stump off the match’s last ball.

Mohsin was the best bowler of the day with three for 20 in his four overs just when the rest of the bowlers from both the teams went for runs aplenty.