IPL 2023: Lucknow Trump Table-Toppers Rajasthan in Jaipur

KL Rahul's Lucknow Super Giants won the match by 10 runs

IPL 2023: Rajasthan Royals were defeated by Lucknow Super Giants.

(Photo: BCCI)

Rajasthan Royals' Jaipur homecoming didn't go as planned as the table-toppers were defeated by 10 runs by Lucknow Super Giants at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Wednesday night.

Chasing Lucknow's 154/7, Rajasthan had an 87-run opening partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler but impressive performances by Lucknow Super Giants bowlers, led by Avesh Khan's 3/25 and Marcus Stoinis' 2/28, helped their team pick up the two points for the win.

At the mid-stage of the game, Rajasthan restricting Lucknow to 154/7 in 20 overs looked like a below-par total on a two-paced pitch. And even during the chase, till the 11th over, Rajasthan didn't lose any wicket and seemed to be cruising towards the target. But Stoinis taking out both openers got the match in Lucknow's favour and from there, the boundaries began to dry up as the required run-rate climbed up, resulting in Rajasthan managing only 144/6 in their 20 overs.

Sanju Samson Put Lucknow in to Bat

On a pitch which has not been easy for stroke-play, Lucknow did not lose a wicket in the powerplay but made only 37 runs. From there, Rajasthan bowlers, led by Ravichandran Ashwin's 2/23 and a terrific last over from Sandeep Sharma, kept things tight. Despite some big overs, Lucknow never got the desired finishing kick, with Mayers being the standout performer though he struggled to time the ball for a large part of his stay at the crease.

Pushed into batting first, Lucknow had a sedate powerplay. With a hint of assistance for Rajasthan bowlers, as Trent Boult bowled a maiden opening over, KL Rahul and Kyle Mayers had to be circumspect though they took a boundary each off Sandeep in the second over.

Rahul was given a life on six when Yashasvi Jaiswal put down a straightforward catch at extra cover off Sandeep in the fourth over. In the same over, Rahul could have been run-out by a yard if Jaiswal had fired in a direct hit.

Rahul had another life at 12 when his mistimed loft was dropped by Jason Holder running back from mid-off in the fifth over. In the next over, Mayers survived a close run-out call at the non-striker's end as replays showed Ashwin had hit the stumps with his arm.

Kyle Mayers and KL Rahul of Lucknow Super Giants during the match against Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on the 19th April 2023

(Photo: BCCI)

Lucknow finally began to show signs of intent from the eighth over as Mayers launched a six off Holder over long-off while Rahul pulled him through mid-wicket for four. In the next over, Mayers hit Yuzvendra Chahal for a lofted six over long-off and a four swept past the keeper on successive balls, before Rahul slog-swept the leg-spinner for a massive 103-metre six.

Rahul's lucky knock ended in the 11th over when he holed out to long-on off Holder, while Ayush Badoni's promotion to number three ended in the next over when his attempted scoop resulted in uprooting his leg-stump off Boult.

Mayers drove and pulled Chahal for back-to-back fours before reaching his fifty in 40 balls. But Deepak Hooda, playing his 100th IPL game on his 28th birthday, holed out to deep square leg off Ashwin. Two balls later, the off-spinner struck again by castling Mayers with a quicker delivery.

At 129/4 in 18 overs, with the last four overs yielding only 25 runs, Nicholas Pooran attacked Holder by dispatching him over long-leg for six, followed by flicking and slicing for a brace of fours as 17 runs came off the 19th over.

In the final over, Sandeep surprised Marcus Stoinis with a short ball, resulting in a feather edge being caught by keeper Sanju Samson. A brilliant direct hit from Samson resulted in the run-out of Pooran, with him also affecting the run-out of Yudhvir Singh on the final ball.

Rajasthan's Chase

Chasing 155, Jaiswal looked good after surviving an lbw decision via review on the very first ball off Naveen-ul-Haq. He drove Yudhvir Singh through cover for four and then quickly picked the short ball to pull for six.

On the other hand, Buttler, after his initial struggles, found his range by swatting Yudhvir for a 112-m massive six over deep mid-wicket. Jaiswal slashed hard at a length ball from Avesh in the final over of power-play, and the edge flew towards ul-Haq at short third man, who dropped the catch and conceded a four.

Jaiswal also hammered a drive for four, followed by Buttler pulling in the gap through the leg-side to hit the third boundary of the over. Post power-play, Rajasthan got their fifty and Buttler punched Ravi Bishnoi through the off-side on a no-ball.

After Buttler took two boundaries on reverse-sweeps off impact player Amit Mishra, Jaiswal easily dispatched Stoinis for a six over deep mid-wicket fence. But two balls later, Stoinis had the last laugh as Jaiswal hit straight to short third man for a low catch.

With the required run rate going upwards of eight, Rajasthan lost captain Sanju Samson as his desperate late dive post a mix-up left him a yard short of reaching the crease at the striker's end.

In the 14th over, Buttler, while trying to pull off Stoinis, holed out to deep mid-wicket. Two overs later, Lucknow struck again when Shimron Hetmyer toe-ended a big heave to long-on. Devdutt Padikkal broke a spell of 31 balls without boundaries with a punch past Bishnoi for four in an over yielding only six runs.

He then took three boundaries off Stoinis in the 18th over, with the pull past deep square leg being the standout. With 29 needed off the last two balls, Riyan Parag heaved high over deep mid-wicket for six, but ul-Haq gave away only ten runs in the penultimate over.

Because of the slow-over rate, Lucknow could keep only four fielders outside the 30-yard circle in the final over. Though Parag hit the first ball for four, Avesh bounced back by having Padikkal nick behind to keeper and Dhruv Jurel holing out to long-on, thereby sealing the game in Lucknow's favour.

(With inputs from IANS)