In T20 cricket, the home benefit doesn’t have a lot of effect with players as a rule assuming control over whatever the idea of the surface.
However, when playing on a black soil wicket with low bounce and a slow start, the pitch in Lucknow makes all the difference.
Indeed, even in the wake of scoring only 126/9, Faf du Plessis-drove Illustrious Challengers Bangalore made things hard for Lucknow Super Monsters in their own lair as soon as possible paced turf at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Arena on Monday.
Prearranging-an-exhilarating-18-run-success-in-IPL. After LSG’s third defeat in a row at home, skipper KL Rahul was injured when he fell while trying to stop the ball in the second over.
He was helped off the field by LSG support staff while grimacing in pain and likely suffering from a hamstring or thigh injury.
As LSG’s innings continued to deteriorate, he was called on to bat and struggled even to move, let alone hit the ball. He never lost a ball on zero in three attempts.
As India prepares to play Australia in the June World Test Championship final at the Oval, it is likely to cause them a new injury problem.
Despite his poor batting, Rahul was seen as at least an experienced player who could support the middle order with Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer all injured and out of the match.
After losing their first meeting in Bengaluru, RCB was very much thinking about getting revenge. After losing their best batsman.
Kyle Mayers, for a duck in the first over. LSG was reduced to 34/4 in six overs before being run out for 108 in 19.5 overs by RCB’s disciplined bowling attack.
Excepting Krishnappa Gowtham (23 – – 13b, 1×4, 2×6). Krunal Pandya (14 – – 11b, 3×4) and Marcus Stoinis (13 – – 19b, 1×6), no LSG player contacted twofold figures.
Captain Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli also battled against the sluggish bowlers, particularly Krunal Pandya’s left-arm turn.
Pandya prevented the two openers from releasing their arms. Both were fortunate to avoid detection and a run-out early in the game.
In the second over, Du Plessis hit a six off Marcus Stonis that drove in ten runs. The ball came on late and had a low bounce that made it too difficult for the batters.
So RCB never got going. Kohli and du Plessis combined for 62 runs in 54 balls as RCB scored 42 runs on the power play.
The first to fall was Kohli (31, 30b, 3×4). He was beaten as he ran outside off stump to Ravi Bishnoi’s googly to be stumped.
Before Du Plessis was caught by Pandya off Amit Mishra. Anuj Rawat (nine), Glenn Maxwell (four), and Suyash Prabhudessai (six) also fell cheaply.
Du Plessis’s 40-ball 44 (1x, 1×6) scored the most points. Gowtham’s capture of du Plessis was accounted for by Mishra. It was also difficult for the lower-order batsmen to score.
There were warmed contentions among Kohli and LSG guide Gautam Gambhir not long after the match. The two were seen having a heated argument on television.
When Gambhir tried to take the player away, Kohli appeared to be talking with Kyle Mayers. In the IPL, Gambhir, and Kohli have fought on the field.
Kohli appeared to be calmed down by players from both teams, including Rahul. The show went on for very nearly 10 minutes before the show function started.