IPL 2024: Fast-tracking RCB’s downfall

PTI

Bengaluru, April 2

Quinton de Kock’s astute fifty and pace sensation Mayank Yadav’s youthful brilliance fashioned Lucknow Super Giants’ 28-run win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL match here today.

LSG constructed their 181/5 around de Kock’s 81 off 56 balls and Nicholas Pooran’s unbeaten 40 off 21 balls.

RCB threatened to miraculously scale 182 briefly through Mahipal Lomror, who produced a forceful 33 off 13 balls.

One ball hit me really hard (on keeping to Mayank Yadav) but so happy to see Mayank bowl the way he has in the last couple of games. Quietly waited for two seasons because of injury but he has been working very hard. It’s great seeing him bowl that fast from behind the stumps. KL Rahul, lsg captain

6 Mayank Yadav is the sixth player to notch three-plus wicket-hauls in first two matches in the IPL

However, Mayank’s scorching three-wicket haul (3/14) was not to be denied as the hosts were bundled out for 153. But in reality, RCB’s chase never really took off - partly due to their own follies and partly by the excellence of LSG’s bowlers.

LSG opened the bowling with two spinners — Manimaran Siddharth and Krunal Pandya — and it did surprise Faf du Plessis (19 off 13) and Virat Kohli (22 off 16).

But the introduction of pacer Naveen-ul-Haq saw Kohli upping the ante, smoking him for six over the bowler’s head. Left-arm spinner Siddharth soon got the massive wicket of an in-form Kohli as the latter’s attempt to go inside out resulted in a simple catch to Devdutt Padikkal at backward point.

RCB slid from that point, losing skipper du Plessis, to a mindless run out, Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green and found themselves at 58/4 in the eighth over.

This was the period when Mayank cranked up the pace in his three-over spell (3-0-13-2). Maxwell tried to pull a 151 km/h scorcher from Mayank, but the high pace meant that the Aussie could not time his pull, resulting in a catch to Pooran at short midwicket.

Green was beaten by Mayank’s raw pace as the delivery straightened a bit after pitching on the good length to rattle his off-stump.

The right-arm quick later added Rajat Patidar (27) to his kitty to reduce RCB to 103/6, and the home side was sinking fast then.

Brief scores: LSG: 181/5 in 20 overs (de Kock 81; Maxwell 2/23); RCB: 153 all out in 19.4 overs (Lomror 33, Patidar 29; Mayank 3/14). — PTI

Delhi looking for capital gain

Visakhapatnam: Delhi Capitals would be keen to prove that their comfortable win against Chennai Super Kings was not a flash in the pan, while Kolkata Knight Riders would be eyeing a hat-trick of victories when the two sides face off in the IPL here tomorrow.

DC would be buoyed by the 20-run victory here on Sunday, their first of the season, against the defending champions who were outsmarted by Rishabh Pant and Co. in all departments of the game.

And tomorrow, DC will have to show the same mentality against KKR, whose batters pummelled Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s bowlers to notch their second win of the season last Friday.

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