The 21st game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 featured a fiery clash between the KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants and the in-form Punjab Kings at the Ekana Sports City Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday, April 15.
Batting first after losing the toss, Lucknow Super Giants got off to a decent start to the game, as Kyle Mayers and skipper KL Rahul looked keen on setting a strong foundation in the first innings. Despite being in good form at the start of the competition, Mayers failed to make an impact as he was sent back to the pavilion after scoring just 29 runs in 23 deliveries.
On the other hand, KL Rahul, who had been struggling to find his form recently, played a resilient knock. The 30-year-old amassed 74 runs to his name in 56 deliveries. Rahul’s knock was integral for Lucknow, as they posted 159 runs on the board after 20 overs.
Stand-in skipper Sam Curran’s spell was crucial for Punjab, as they limited the hosts to a subpar total. Curran took three wickets in the four overs he bowled and conceded 31 runs in the process. Apart from him, Kagiso Rabada impressed as well, taking two wickets and conceding 34 runs in four overs.
Sikandar Raza’s brilliance leads Punjab to an emphatic win
During the run chase, Punjab Kings got off to the worst of starts as both of their openers played disappointing knocks. Atharva Taide was sent packing on a duck, whereas Prabhsimran Singh only managed to score four runs. However, the middle-order of the side came through and provided them with some much-needed hope.
Matt Short played a decent knock of 34 runs in 22 balls, whereas Harpreet Singh Bhatia accumulated 22 runs in just as many deliveries as well. The brilliant innings of Sikandar Raza proved to be exceptional for Punjab; the 36-year-old scored 57 runs and was integral in the visitors ultimately clinching the win.
As the match went down to the wire, Shahrukh Khan’s unbeaten knock of 23 runs propelled the Sam Curran-led side to a win by two wickets. Lucknow put in a fabulous performance with the ball. With debutant Yudhvir Singh taking two wickets in three overs and conceding 19 runs, and Mark Wood taking two as well, the KL Rahul-led side came close to a win; however, Punjab’s excellenceked to the game slipping out of their hands by the barest of margins.
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