Lucknow produced an all-round performance against Delhi on Thursday night at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai to record a comprehensive 6-wicket victory in the Match No 15 of the ongoing Indian T20 Cricket League 2022 competition.
The victory powered the new team on the block Lucknow to the second spot in the Indian T20 Cricket League 2022 points table as they now have 3 victories from 4 matches, whereas Delhi were pushed to the 7th spot since they have only 1 win from 3 matches that they have played.
Lucknow have a total of 6 points and a Net Run Rate (NRR) of 0.256 whereas Delhi have so far accrued just two points from their solitary victory and their NRR is also a bit concerning at -0.116.
The star performer for Lucknow in an impressive, all-round victory on Thursday night was South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock, who anchored the chase and scored more than half of the runs that were required to beat Delhi.
De Kock hammered a 52-ball 80 with the help of 9 boundaries and 2sixes to top score from either side, overshadowing another scintillating knock played earlier in the match by Delhi batsman Prithvi Shaw.
Shaw was off the blocks very soon in the first innings as the right-handed Indian opening batsman took command of scoring runs against Lucknow while his senior batting partner, David Warner, who was playing his first game of the competition, happily took the backseat.
Shaw displayed exemplary stokeplay all around the ground to hammer 9 boundaries and 2 sixes to race to a 34-ball 61, taking Delhi to a strong position in the initial stages of the contest. However, tables turned quickly against Delhi after Shaw was removed from the equation by Lucknow all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham, as they lost a total of 3 wickets in quick succession.
Shaw was caught behind by de Kock behind the wickets on the third ball of the eighth over, and exactly six deliveries later, Warner walked back to the pavilion being caught by Ayush Badoni off Ravi Bishnoi.
The exciting West Indies batsman Rovman Powell had a forgettable stay in the middle as he was cleaned up by the Lucknow and India legspinner Bishnoi for a 10-ball 3, which left Delhi reeling at 74/3 after 10.3 overs.
A flurry of wickets pushed Delhi on the back foot and Lucknow bowlers did an exemplary job in taking charge of the situation. By not allowing free-flowing batsmen like Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan to free up their arms for the majority of their stay, Lucknow ensured that they did not have too many runs to chase when the innings got over.
However, it was not just Lucknow bowlers who impressed as Delhi were also able to get late impetus to Indian evening, with the pair of Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan putting on the best partnership of the contest on Thursday night.
Rishabh Pant remained unbeaten on 39 from 36 balls with the help of 3 boundaries and 2 sixes whereas Sarfaraz Khan worked hard for his 28-ball 36 not out, spangled with 3 boundaries. The two batsmen added 75 runs unbeaten for the fourth wicket from just 57 balls, giving Delhi bowlers respectable total to defend.
Lucknow are turning out to be a team to beat it in this tournament rapidly and one such reason was provided by them on Thursday. The opening pair of Lucknow captain KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock knocked off 73 runs from 9.4 overs to provide a strong footing to their side.
KL Rahul took it easy as Quinton de Kock attacked the opposition. The Lucknow captain perished in the 10th over of the innings, having scored 24 from 25 balls with the help of a boundary and a six.
A couple of overs later, Lucknow were jolted once again when their No 3 batsman Evin Lewis was dismissed by all-rounder Lalit Yadav for 5, with the chasing side still a considerable distance away from the finish line.
While de Kock continued to collect runs in all parts of the ground, Lucknow were propped up by the likes of Deepak Hooda (11), Krunal Pandya (19 not out) and Ayush Badoni (10 not out). Lucknow stormed to a commanding 6-wicket win in challenging conditions in Navi Mumbai.
The Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav was the most impressive bowler for Delhi against Lucknow, taking 2/31 from his 3.4 overs. On the other hand, Ravi Bishnoi also impressed with his leg-spin skills, returning with figures of 4-0-22-2.
With their shaky start to the 15th edition of Indian T20 Cricket League 2022 giving their management some headache, Delhi will be keen to bounce back on Sunday night afternoon when they take on the dangerous Kolkata on April 10. In the evening, Lucknow will look to continue to make the right moves to face Rajasthan in the Match No 20.
Devarchit Varma is a cricket writer and journalist with an experience of more than a decade, having worked at Hindustan Times (newspaper) and CricketCountry (website). Along with covering international and domestic cricket, he has also interviewed several current and former top players such as Rohit Sharma, Steve Smith, Dale Steyn, Michael Hussey, Jacques Kallis, Brendon McCullum, Shane Watson, Lasith Malinga and many more. He has also worked in other beats as a journalist in Bollywood (Reliance BigOye) and IT (SiliconIndia) industries.
Read All Articles >
