Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul admitted that they were 10 runs short after two-wicket loss against Punjab Kings at their home venue in Lucknow on Saturday. LSG posted 159-8 after PBKS stand-in skipper Sam Curran decided to bowl first.
KL Rahul cugged to a 56-ball 74 and he struggled to change gears for the majority of his innings. Kyle Mayers also scored a conservative knock of 29 runs from 23 balls but their middle order struggled to get going on a pitch, which wasn’t the easiest to bat on.
On the other hand, Punjab Kings started their run-chase poorly as debutant Atharva Taide and Prabhsimram Singh were dismissed by LSG debutant Yudhvir Singh. However, Matthew Short gave a much-needed impetus to PBKS’ team, racing to 22-ball 36.
After Short’s dismissal, PBKS found themselves in a spot of bother at 45-3 at the end of the Powerplay overs. Subsequently, Sikandar Raza took charge and scored his maiden IPL fifty, scoring 57 runs from 41 balls.
20 runs were needed off the final two overs and the finishing touches were provided by Shahrukh Khan, who scored a cameo of 10-ball 23 to help his team get over the line in the run-chase of 160 runs.
KL Rahul said in the post-match presentation, “We were about 10 short, the dew came in and helped the batters a bit more. We didnt do too well with the ball. (On what is a par score here) When your’e playing on a new pitch, you cant rely on previous games so we are taking it as it comes. Assessing it as it comes to think what would be a par total. If a few guys get going, we can get that 180-190 mark like Mayers and Pooran played well in that DC game, but unfortunately today a few batters got caught on the boundary lines. If they went over, the score could have been different. Part of the game, we learn from it.”
He added, “(On his diving catch) Game on the line, you have to give it everything on the field. I saw the ball and went for it. (On finding balance between aggression and anchoring) Each player has a different role, we are 7-8 batters in our team and few are powerful enough to clear every boundary, the others have different skills. We each play our role and thats what makes the team exciting. We have power in Pooran and Stoin, and Mayers up top takes the aggressive route. For each player taking that aggressive route can look different, you have to stick to what works best for you.”
Lucknow Super Giants will next face Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Jaipur.
