Delhi Capitals pacer Sharma takes 4-33 to restrict hosts LSG to 160-6; Porel (51), Rahul (57*) ensure easy eight-wicket win
DC skipper Axar Patel (left) with pacer Mukesh Kumar at the fall of a LSG wicket in Lucknow yesterday. Pics/PTI, AFP
The way Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) began their IPL match at the Ekana Stadium on Tuesday, after being put in to bat by Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Axar Patel, it seemed the home team would dominate the contest.
Being 87 without loss in 10 overs, a total of 200 seemed easy. But within a matter of 19 balls, the whole match turned on its head as LSG lost four wickets for the addition of just 13 runs and then never recovered from the blows delivered by Mukesh Kumar (4-33) with his superb spell that prevented the home team from posting even a fighting total.
Getting 160 for victory proved a walk in the park for DC as first Abishek Porel (51 off 36), and then KL Rahul (57 not out off 42) and Axar (34 not out off 20) helped them win with eight wickets and 13 balls to spare.
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LSG’s Mitchell Marsh is clean bowled by DC’s Mukesh Kumar yesterday
After Karun Nair fell cheaply, Porel held the innings together with Rahul till he fell soon after his fifty. Thereafter, Rahul took the team across the line with an innings of substance against his former team. Rahul had another reason to celebrate as he became the fastest to attain 5000 runs in the IPL in 130 innings, overtaking David Warner (135 innings).
With this win, DC maintained their second spot in the points table with 12 points (six wins from eight matches), the same as Gujarat Titans. GT, however, are on top because of a better Net Run Rate. This win consolidates DC’s position in the race to the Playoffs, while LSG have remained in the fifth position, with 10 points. They now face a tough task of winning at least four of the remaining five games to progress.
Skewed strategy seemed to have contributed to LSG’s woes as skipper Rishabh Pant came in to bat at No. 7 with only two balls left of the innings, while promoting Abdul Samad to No 4. Samad (two off eight balls) struggled before being caught and bowled by Mukesh Kumar. Pant (zero off two balls) was then bowled by Mukesh off the final ball of the innings.
LSG openers Mitch Marsh (45 off 36) and Aiden Markram (52 off 33) gave their team a fluent start. The duo piled on runs at a fast clip with Markram racing away to his half-century in only 30 balls, while Marsh was not far behind. The only bowler who was able to contain the two was Axar Patel, who bowled his four overs on a trot. Bowling from the first over, Patel conceded just 29 in his spell, while pacers Mitch Starc and Mukesh Kumar were taken apart in their first spells.
The breakthrough was provided by Sri Lankan pacer Dushmantha Chameera, who cleaned up Marsh with a superb yorker. In the next three overs, LSG lost the moment as in-form West Indian Nicholas Pooran (nine off five), Samad and Markram fell in quick succession.
Mukesh was the pick of the bowlers. After conceding 12 in the opening over, he returned excellent figures of 4-33, picking up wickets in each of his subsequent three overs.
Brief scores
LSG 159-6 in 20 overs (A Markram 52, M Marsh 45; M Kumar 4-33) lost to DC 161-2 in 17.5 overs (A Porel 51, KL Rahul 57*, A Patel 34*; A Markram 2-30) by 8 wickets
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