The Lucknow Supergiants and two-time IPL Champions Kolkata Knight Riders locked horns against each other and gifted us a thrilling battle that had a last-ball finish. Though it was primarily LSG who won the match by having the last laugh, the Knights were the ones, truly winning hearts.
LSG batted first and put up 210 on the scoreboard without even losing a single wicket, and it was the highest opening partnership of all time in IPL. After a mouth-watering battle, LSG was able to successfully defend their total by defeating KKR by only 2 runs. Here are three factors that led Lucknow to secure the win.
Quinton de Kock’s Century
South African power hitter Quinton de Kock played a phenomenal inning of 140 of just 70 balls with a strike rate of 200. His innings conceded 10 fours and 10 sixes, which was the biggest factor that led LSG to put up a big score of 210. Also, skipper KL Rahul supported him who played an impressive inning too, scoring 68 of 51 balls with 3 fours and 4 sixes.
LSG bowlers picking up wickets in crucial moments
After the destructive batting of De Kock, it doesn’t seem like KKR was under pressure, and was scoring runs smoothly. Though they lost their openers early, Nitish Rana, skipper Shreyas Iyer, and Sam Billings coming one by one, played their parts well.
However, it was the credit of the LSG bowlers who picked up wickets in crucial moments, and didn’t allow the KKR batters to score more than the run they scored in the match; else the story would have been different. Whenever the KKR batters were scoring runs putting the required run rate down, the Lucknow bowlers successfully dismissed putting the pressure back on them.
Stopping Rinku Singh in the last over
Though it seemed like KKR was out of the match, it was the unbelievable efforts of Sunil Narine and Rinku Singh, for which KKR came close to victory. Narine scored 21 of 7 with 3 sixes, and Rinku scored 40 of only 15 deliveries with 2 fours and 4 sixes, with a strike rate of 266.67. In the last over, when KKR needed 21 runs, Rinku Singh sent the first ball to four, and the next two balls for two consecutive sixes. In the fourth ball, he took 2 runs, and the equation for KKR was 3 required of 2 balls.
However, Rinku trying to play a lofted shot again got caught out in the hands of Evin Lewis giving a magnificent effort. Also, credit goes to Marcus Stoinis who defended the last over after that thriller and bowled out Umesh Yadav in the last ball taking Lucknow Supergiants home with victory and becoming the second team to qualify for the playoffs.
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