Harshal Patel nearly defended five runs off the final over but Dinesh Karthik’s fumble helped the visitors sneak a bye with one needed from one ball.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) edged a whim-whams- wracking Indian Premier League (IPL) tie against Royal contenders Bangalore (RCB) by one gate at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium then on Monday.
Harshal Patel nearly defended five runs off the final over but Dinesh Karthik’s bobble helped the callers sneak a bye with one demanded from one ball.
When seven runs were needed from nine deliveries, Impact Player cover Ayush Badoni (for Amit Mishra) dipped Wayne Parnell over the fine- leg boundary but unfortunately hit the gate on the follow- through. But he’d taste deliverance not long later.
LSG chased down the stiff 213- run target, despite being reduced to 23 for three, on the reverse of two swashbuckling half- centuries from Marcus Stoinis (65, 30b, 6×4, 5×6) and Nicholas Pooran (62, 19b, 4×4, 7×6).
Stoinis, sporting a minimalist’s air, smashed Harshal, Karn Sharma and Shahbaz Ahmed for 45 runs across three overs to shift instigation. RCB gutted Stoinis and KL Rahul in a span of four balls, but couldn’t arrest the inflow of runs.
At that stage, LSG demanded 108 off 53 balls and Pooran played like a man held, blasting everything in sight, to score this season’s fastest fifty( 15b), brought up with a towering six over long- on out Parnell. Badoni( 30, 24b, 4×4) and the tail assured the trouble did n’t go waste.
Before, after being asked to club, Virat Kohli (61, 44b, 4×4, 4×6), Faf du Plessis (79n.o., 46b, 5×4, 5×6) and Glenn Maxwell (59, 29b, 3×4, 6×6), took turns to bark the LSG attack.
Kohli’s first hit to the boundary – a top- edged six over fine- leg – wasn’t reflective of his recent form. The rest of the shots were, like the two fours through extra-cover off Avesh Khan and the six over deep mid-wicket off Mark Wood.
But from 56 for no loss (six overs) RCB plodded, as Ravi Bishnoi and Krunal Pandya sailed three boundary-less overs. Amit Mishra snapped up Kohli three balls after being introduced.
Du Plessis also took charge. The commander, who was on 33 from 30 balls, pounded Bishnoi for back- to- back sixes, with the alternate a monstrous shot over long- on. The half- century( 35b) came when he transferred Wood soaring over long- out.
Maxwell completed a flamboyant fifty, replete with cross-batted heaves, audacious swats and inventive slices. The Aussie and du Plessis collected 57 runs from overs 17 to 19, but it was LSG who had the last laugh. Know More IPL News…
