Young Mayank Yadav stood out yet again in a great team effort by Lucknow SuperGiants, who cruised to their second straight win in Indian Premier League 2024. Hosts Royal Challengers Bengaluru were handed a 28 defeat in their own citadel, M Chinnaswamy Stadium today (Tuesday).
LSG were better in all three departments - batting, bowling and fielding as nothing went right for hosts RCB except for the toss, won by Faf du Plessis. Chasing 182 to win, RCB didn't last their quota of 20 overs, bowled out for 153 (19.4 overs) in wake of some highly disciplined LSG attack and their own indiscipline while batting. RCB could never recover in thier chase from the early departure of Virat Kohli to make a match of it.
KL Rahul’s master stroke
LSG skipper KL Rahul played the master stroke by opening the attack with left-arm spin from both ends. The move paid instantly. In the first over, Manimaran Siddharth conceded just three to Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis, all in singles.
New-found sensation Mayank Yadav and other pacer Naveen-ul-Haq could wait for a while. Rahul surprised the RCB openers yet again by handing the ball to another left-arm orthodox bowler Krunal Pandya.
Rahul stuck with his plan and continued to test the Kohli-du Plessis duo with spin. The trick worked as Kohli, the leading run getter in the tournament, top-edged Siddarth to Devdutt Paddikal at backward point. A big catch for LSG and Siddarth. Frustration was writ large on Kohli’s face as he departed after contributing 22 (16b, two 4s, 1 six) to the 40-run opening stand.
Same old story of top order failure
With Kohli’s departure unfolded the same old RCB story of the top order failure. Skipper du Plessis, who looked in control, committed hara-kiri and ran himself out on 19 when the team needed a big contribution from him.
Then Glenn Maxwell (0) and Cameron Green (9) allowed LSG to take control of the proceedings. The two Aussie pros had no clue about how to deal with a rookie pacer from Delhi.
Impact player Mahipal Lomror’s 13-ball 33 (three 4s, three 6s) lower down the order, when RCB had lost almost everything, were only worth some entertainment quotient for the home team fans.
Mayank Agarwal has pace, control and a clever head on young shoulders.
Mayank Yadav magic goes on
The tearaway pacer Yadav continued from where he had left in his match-winning three-wicket burst on IPL debut against Punjab Kings in Lucknow. He first undid Maxwell with a projectile hurled over 22 yards at a 151 kmph, Pooran running in form mid-wicket to take the catch. Then Green fell prey to pace. The leather hitting the timber in front creates the sweetest music to the ears of a speedster.
Rajat Patidar’s dismissal, a top-edge to Devdutt Paddikal at deep square leg off Yadav, put LSG within the sniffing distance of their second successive win. Yadav had almost castled Dinesh Karthik right in front a few deliveries later. But “the finisher” survived the scare in DRS for additional bounce.
The second man of the match stuff by Yadav - 4-0-13-3. He has a rare combination of extreme pace and control. It is not easy to maintain a 150-plus pace and not bowl a wide or no ball.
With the T20 World Cup round the corner, whispers of India going to the USA and the West Indies with the 21-year-old special talent may start soon.
Earlier, SuperGiants did not let RCB derive any advantage after du Plessis had opted to field first. Seasoned opener Quinton de Kock marshalled the innings into the 17th over and in-form Nicholas Pooran took the visitors to a commanding score with his late burst.
De Kock keeps LSG in the match
The Lucknow innings revolved around de Kock, who struck his first back to back IPL half centuries in four years. He didn’t stop even as Maxwell had got a dangerous looking Rahul (20, 14b, two 6s) early. LSG were quick off the blocks after being put in to bat. De Kock did bulk of the scoring (32 runs) in the 53-run opening stand.
The South African wicketkeeper-batter didn’t stop in the middle overs after LSG lost Rahul, Paddikal (6) and Marcu Stoinis. De Kock and Stoinis (24, 15b, one 4, two 6s) built a quick 56-run stand for the third wicket off just 30 deliveries.
Whe de Kock departed for 81 (56b, eights 4s), five 6s) in the 17 over, Super Giants were very much in the game.
Nicholas Pooran fire works
Nicholas Pooran set the packed M Chinnaswamy stadium on fire with his late burst, slamming an unbeaten 40 off just 21 balls with one four and five sixes. In the process, the Caribbean batter also shared a 12-ball 33*-run stand for the sixth wicket with Krunal Pandya, who watched the Pooran blaze from the best possible position without facing a ball himself.
Good death overs by RCB
With LSG on 129 for 3 after 14 overs and de Kock going strength by strength, a 200 plus score was a strong possibility. Six overs from the ninth to the 14th have been worth 64 runs. The Lucknow batters could manage just 52 in the last six despite 42 runs coming in just nine balls – with five sixes and three fours.
Maxwell gives crucial breakthroughs
Maxwell gave RCB two crucial breakthroughs in the form of Rahul and Stoinis when both the batters had settled down well and started threatening the rival camp. Yash Dayal, most effective among RCB bowlers in the season so far, impressed yet again in his four over spell, taking one wicket for just 24 runs.
As the pitch slowed down and offered variable pace and bounce with every passing over, LSG had made a match of it with 181/5. Not a bad toss to lose.
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