RAHUL URGES SUPER GIANTS TO KEEP UP WINNING RUN
Lucknow displace Gujarat atop points table with imperious display against Kolkata
Despite a massive 75run win over Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL match, Lucknow Super Giants captain K.L Rahul wants his side to keep improving to deliver a complete performance in the upcoming games, adding that he is not sure whether they are peaking at the right time or not.
Brilliant knocks by Quinton de Kock and Deepak Hooda followed by sensational performances by Avesh Khan (3/19) and Jason Holder (3/31) helped Lucknow Super Giants to a dominating 75-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders in the 53rd match of the IPL 2022 in Pune yesterday.
Room for improvement
“Still can’t think of any game where we’ve had a complete performance. Still, areas to improve. Don’t think any team is going to be perfect anyway, we aren’t chasing that. Everyone wants to contribute which is great to see,” said Rahul at the post-match presentation.
“Don’t know if we’re peaking at the right time but we’re getting the wins, we’re doing what is expected of us, sticking to our plans,” he added.
Rahul also mentioned that it was a tricky Pune-wicket but their batters played really well to post a challenging total.
“Was a tricky wicket. Knew it was going to be slow and sticky. Had to get around 150-160. The way Quinton and Deepak batted, made it look easy. Big-hitting from Stoinis and Jason gave the momentum,” he said.
Asked about the superb performance by his bowlers, Rahul said that he couldn’t have asked for more. “We started superbly with the ball, put the ball in the right areas, couldn’t have asked for more. Trust them a great deal [his pace battery]. Having skill is one thing, but knowing what to do [and] when is important,” he added.
Andre Russell played a quickfire knock — smashing 45 off 19 for KKR but Rahul credited his bowlers for executing their plans under pressure.
With the win, Lucknow wrested top position in the points table from Gujarat Titans. Both Lucknow and Gujarat have registered 8 wins in 11 matches but Rahul’s team have a superior run rate (0.703) than Hardik Pandya’s team (0.120).
Jaiswal inspires Royals
In the other match, left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 41ball 68 helped Rajasthan Royals chase down 190 against Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium and drew high praise from Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson .
After recording scores of 20, 1 and 4 in first three matches, Jaiswal was dropped but made a return to the playing eleven against Punjab and shepherded the chase with two balls to spare to brighten Rajasthan’s chances of qualifying for the playoffs.
“We all knew that he [Jaiswal] was due for a good innings. He spends quality time training and practising, spending a lot of hours in the nets. Very happy for him. Wanted to chase some games and win.,” said Samson .