In the 31st match of the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) beat Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 18 runs at the DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai.
After winning the toss, KL Rahul asked RCB to bat first. RCB lost a couple of wickets straight away in the first over and were thrown on the backfoot by LSG bowlers. Despite a slow start, captain Faf Du Plessis (96) led the team towards a strong total and helped RCB set a humongous target for the opponents. The captain smashed eleven 4’s and two 6’s in the processes to aid RCB in the first inning. In the process, Faf also built a partnership of 70 runs with Shahbaz Ahmed (26) to bring RCB back from the ruins. In the end, the contribution from keeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik (13*) helped the Bangalore based team to reach 181/6 in 20 overs.
Chasing 182, Lucknow Super Giants lost opener Quinton de Kock in the first over itself. Captain Rahul (30), who scored a ton in the previous outing, was once again looking in fine touch but lost his wicket just after the powerplay. Krunal Pandya (42) also tried his best to bring LSG back into the game. In the end, it was just too much for the lower middle-order as Stoinis (24) and Holder (16) also help LSG to get a win at DY Patil Stadium. In response to the chase, LSG only managed to get to 163/8.
Josh Hazelwood was the star of the evening as he took wickets in every over that he bowled. In his quota of four overs, he got four wickets and gave just 25 runs. Harshal Patel got 2 wickets and Siraj along with Maxwell managed to pick one each.
For LSG, Holder and Chameera scalped two wickets each in the first innings. Pandya also managed to get one wicket.
Faf du Plessis was also named Man of the Match for his powerful performance with the bat. With this victory, RCB now has 10 points in the points table and is looking string to qualify for the playoffs.
Scorecard:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 181/6, Overs 20, Faf Du Plessis 96, Holder 2/25
Lucknow Super Giants: 163/8, Overs 20, Krunal Pandya 42, Josh Hazelwood 4/25