The 43rd match of the Indian Premier League 2023 saw a clash between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore when the two sides squared off at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. LSG did a terrific job by restricting RCB to a below-par total of 126, but RCB bowlers were at their best as they defended the low target to win the game in a mind-blowing fashion.
RCB skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss and opted to bat first. The decision backfired as no batters, other than the openers Faf and Virat Kohli, were able to cross the 30-run mark. After a 62-run opening stand, Kohli walked back to the pavilion courtesy of Ravi Bishnoi.
Wickets kept tumbling thereon, as Bishnoi, Krishnappa Gowtham and Amit Mishra did the work with the ball for LSG.
LSG suffered a blow in the initial stages when skipper KL Rahul walked off the field due to an injury, but that did not have a major impact on the innings as the bowlers managed to restrict RCB to 126/9 in their 20 overs quota.
Towards the end of the innings, Naveen-ul-Haq picked up three wickets to add to RCB’s misery as Faf finished as the top scorer with his 44(40). It looked like a one-sided game for the hosts, but RCB bowlers pulled off a heist and did the unthinkable.
LSG got off to a terrible start to their chase as opener Kyle Mayers, who had been in top form in the tournament so far, was dismissed for a two-ball duck. Rahul’s absence forced the team to make changes to their top order.
Ayush Badoni opened the innings with Krunal Pandya batting at No. 3.
As strong as it looked on paper, Kohli’s fielding brilliance helped Glenn Maxwell and Josh Hazelwood get the wickets of Pandya and Badoni. After Kohli’s masterclass, it was Dinesh Karthik who showcased some fine tactics behind the stumps, thereby contributing in Deepak Hooda and Gowtham’s dismissals.
Lucknow lost four wickets in the powerplay as their batting unit fell like dominos. To further put a dent, Karn Sharma struck twice and dismissed two dangerous batters- Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis.
Gowtham was run-out in the 12th over and Karthik continued to impress with his glovework as he carried the ball brilliantly to run Bishnoi out in the 15th over as LSG were left stranded at 77/8 after 14.4 overs.
Things fell out of place for LSG as they failed to chase a low target for the second time this season.
After the previous match between the two sides, earlier this season, ended in a last-over thriller, RCB finally managed to plot a perfect act of revenge and clinched the low-scoring game.
Even after KL Rahul walked out to bat when LSG had lost nine wickets, that did not have much of an impact in the game as he couldn’t score a single run in the three balls that he faces, and Amit Mishra’s wicket in the final over put curtains on LSG’s chase as they restricted the hosts to 108 runs, winning the game by 18 runs.