Mayank sizzles as Super Giants force Royal Challengers into submission
Young speedster breathes fire to rip through the hosts’ toporder after de Kock and Pooran’s lusty hitting propel the visitors to a decent total
ayank Yadav was too hot to handle. The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer cranked it up, going as high as 156.7 kmph, forcing Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to back away from the fight.
The Mayank fire was lit in his first over, when he pinned Glenn Maxwell with a quick, short ball. Mayank then created magic, when he castled Australian Cameron Green with sheer pace.
Rajat Patidar was Mayank’s third victim — another short ball doing the trick. The home team, out for the count after Mayank’s blows, lost by 28 runs.
RCB’s hopes rested on Impact Player Mahipal Lomror (33, 13b, 3x4, 3x6), who kept the crowd interested with some big hits. But when he fell in the 18th over, RCB’s fate was sealed.
RCB would have believed it gained a big advantage by winning the toss and opting to chase.
On a sticky M. Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch, it was left to Quinton de Kock (81, 56b, 8x4, 5x6) and Nicholas Pooran (40 n.o., 21b, 1x4, 5x6) to take LSG to a respectable total.
Opener de Kock waged a lone hand at the top of the order. de Kock received a life on 32, when Maxwell failed to hold on to a tough chance at midoff.
LSG skipper K.L. Rahul, cleared to play after reco
Mvering from an injury, was tentative in his 14ball 20. Devdutt Padikkal (6) was sent back through an excellent catch from wicketkeeper Anuj Rawat. de Kock cut loose in the 13th over, when he hammered a wayward Green for two sixes and a four.
RCB was quickly back on top, as LSG limped to 148 for five in 18 overs. Pooran sprung into action against leftarm seamer Reece Topley, who in search of the wide yorker, erred with full tosses. Pooran hit it into the point stands for two sixes, and then smashed a short ball onto the stadium roof. Pooran hit two maximums in the final over, bowled by Mohammed Siraj, to give LSG a crucial late fillip.
LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS Quinton de Kock c Dagar b Topley 81 (56b, 8x4, 5x6), K.L. Rahul c Dagar b Maxwell 20 (14b, 2x6), Devdutt Padikkal c Rawat b Siraj 6 (11b), Marcus Stoinis c Dagar b Maxwell 24 (15b, 1x4, 2x6), Nicholas Pooran (not out) 40 (21b, 1x4, 5x6), Ayush Bodoni c du Plessis b Dayal 0 (3b), Krunal Pandya (not out) 0 (0b); Extras (w10): 10; Total (for five wkts. in 20 overs): 181.
FALL OF WICKETS
153 (Rahul, 5.3 overs), 273 (Padikkal, 8.5), 3129 (Stoinis, 13.5), 4143 (de Kock, 16.4), 5148 (Badoni, 17.6).
RCB BOWLING
Topley 40391, Dayal 40241, Siraj 40471, Maxwell 40232, Dagar 20230, Green 20250.
ROYAL CHALLENGERS Virat Kohli c Padikkal b M. Siddharth 22 (16b, 2x4, 1x6), du Plessis run out 19 (13b, 3x4), Rajat Patidar c Padikkal b Mayank Yadav 29 (21b, 2x4, 2x6), Glenn Maxwell c Pooran b Mayank Yadav 0 (2b), Cameron Green b Mayank Yadav 9 (9b, 1x4), Anuj Rawat c Padikkal b Stoinis 11 (21b), Mahipal Lomror (Impact Player in place of Dayal) c Pooran b Yash Thakur 33 (13b, 3x4, 3x6), Dinesh Karthik c Rahul b Naveen 4 (8b), Mayank Dagar run out 0 (1b), Reece Topley (not out) 3 (6b), Mohammed Siraj c Pooran b Naveen 12 (8b, 2x6); Extras (lb3, w8): 11; Total (in 19.4 overs): 153.
FALL OF WICKETS
140 (Kohli, 4.2), 242 (du Plessis, 5.1), 343 (Maxwell, 5.4), 458 (Green, 7.4), 594 (Rawat, 12.5), 6103 (Patidar, 14.2), 7136 (Karthik, 16.5), 8137 (Dagar, 17.1), 9138 (Lomror, 17.5). SUPER GIANTS BOWLING
(Impact Player in place of de Kock) 30211, Krunal 10100, Naveen 3.40252, Mayank Yadav 40143, Bishnoi 30330, Yash Thakur 40381, Stoinis 1091. Toss: RCB.
PoM: Mayank.
LSG won by 28 runs.
The 20run win against Chennai Super Kings is an indicator of where Delhi Capitals was, is, and can be. The squad on paper and its performance in the first two matches was uninspiring. But, according to assistant coach Pravin Amre, it is inspired now and can do better.
That establishes that DC isn’t complacent, having just outplayed the defending champion.
What caused the turnaround needn’t be examined forensically. For it may easily be attributed to its familiarity of its home ground. “We were here for two weeks (preseason), and I think the first couple of weeks, there was a dew.
“But we were aware that there won’t be that much (dew) that day in particular, because it was windy. And I think that was an important decision to go there and bat first,” said Amre on the eve of his team’s clash against Kolkata Knight Riders here.
It’s with this kind of familiarity and the windsupported swing that Khaleel Ahmed generates with the new ball that DC will take on the Knight Riders.
On the other hand, it might just be the right venue and match for Mitchell Starc to come good for the visitor.
Starc versus the Capitals openers would make for an interesting contest; so would be the Capitals bowlers trying to contain Andre Russell from muscling shots of mayhem.
Overall, it’s whether the newly confident DC can ground a highflying KKR.