Although it has been a while since the Chinnaswamy stadium delivered an epic cliffhanger, the pandemic and passage of time haven’t altered the stadium’s penchant for suspense. In a nail-biting match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore, the visitors prevailed on the final ball. In a high-scoring match that had both positive and negative swings, LSG won by one wicket off the penultimate ball.
Kohli makes use of the death warrant
LSG captain KL Rahul won the toss and decided to bowl, citing the Chinnaswamy pitch’s poor condition as well as a history of pursuing teams winning as justifications. In the powerplay, Kohli immediately attacked the inexperienced attack with Avesh Khan and Jaydev Unadkat as his opening bowlers, prompting Rahul to insert Wood in the sixth over. The powerplay ended with a score of 56-0 after Kohli pounded him for a boundary over his head and a six over cow corner. For the following three overs, the spinners choked the run flow before Kohli once more broke the chains with a 13-run over off Krunal Pandya.
After Kohli’s wicket, Maxwell and Faf mercilessly slaughter
Glenn Maxwell and Faf du Plessis took on the leg-spinners first after Amit Mishra secured the prized wicket of Virat Kohli. The latter pounded Bishnoi for 20 runs off an over, including the longest six of the 2023 IPL. (115 meters). A full-scale attack on the LSG bowling resulted from this, with even pace spearhead Mark Wood taking a couple of powerful sixes. When Maxwell eventually tumbled off the penultimate ball, the damage had already been done thanks to the enormous 213 that RCB had set for LSG.
Mayers most likely launched LSG with a bang….not quite
Mohammad Siraj knocked over the in-form Kyle Mayers, and then Wayne Parnell got Hooda and Krunal Pandya to edge behind in the same over, leading to three wickets in the powerplay. RCB appeared to be bowling on a completely different pitch. As a result, the powerplay didn’t go quite as LSG had envisioned it, not to mention KL Rahul, who observed the mayhem from the opposite end while still having difficulty speaking fluently.
Rahul and Stoinis restructure for LSG
Although the format doesn’t really allow for rebuilding, KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis continued losing the wicket, and the latter eventually faced Harshal Patel, who was promptly crushed for 17 runs in his first over. After the initial blows, Stoinis spearheaded LSG’s counterattack and kept tearing apart the bowling as KL Rahul battled. The goal was to keep wickets in hand. The Australian recruit reached his fifty off just 25 balls with a huge six off Shahbaz Ahmed, and he finished the 10th over with another six.
The exciting conclusion
This is not an exaggeration. In one of the best scoop shots ever against Wayne Parnell, Ayush Badoni took a yorker on the full and deposited it over fine leg for six. However, on the followthrough, he managed to brush his stumps with the toe of the bat, leading to a hit-wicket dismissal. Harshal Patel attempted a “run out at the non-striker’s end” off the final ball of the chase with one run to win but utterly missed the stumps. He was eventually obliged to bowl the ball, which Avesh Khan missed, but LSG managed to slip a bye to pull off a shocking heist at the Chinnaswamy.
What are the two teams’ future plans?
On Saturday, April 15, the Lucknow Super Giants head back to their home country to play the Punjab Kings, while the Royal Challengers Bangalore stay in Bangalore and take on the Delhi Capitals.
