Super Night with another big one between LSG and RCB. With this game being crucial for playoffs for both teams the match has been three times as magnified as any other game. Both of the sides were aware that with a game left for both of them both have to grab points, they know each ball. The pressure has been there from ball one, the Lucknow Super Giants would have played some cricket at the end of that season, wanted to do well and get the top of the points table, remembering the Kangol the man I would assume used to cover a few games for our sister concern The Times of India have given us some great RCB batting and some ardent fans which should be appreciated by everyone out there. A great lot of batsmen have represented RCB and had to prove something to themselves and many more out there; it was an Indian Premier League match and they delivered. Though there was batting on one side, there were good bowling and fielding on the other and the game swayed both ways to the extent where the whole of India was on the edge of their seats every single ball that was played and as well as both teams played with and without the bat which is exactly what an Indian Premier League match has to be like.
LSG vs RCB Match Overview
RCB won the toss and opted to bat first. Considering the conditions of the pitch he had his thinking caps right on, the surface had all that a batsman would need for a day night match; it was a hard, dry, and a perfect surface for batting. There was great carry for stroke play, and the outfield was quite quick and it seemed evident that timing of the ball will reward good stroke-making and then the Lucknow Super Giants would have to know that breaking the openers would be very important, and you do not have to give the RCB opening batsmen an easy ride when you have batting that sweet.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Innings
The RCB opened the innings with all the confidence; their opening pair looked focused and ready to dominate from the get go. The intent to make full use of the power play and immediately put the Lucknow Super Giants bowlers under pressure was evident.
Powerplay start
From ball one, it was aggressive intent, anything that was even a bit shorter than good length or wide was hit for boundaries, be it an effortless drive through extra cover or a powerful shot towards square leg. The pace attack of the LSG were probing lines and lengths, but the RCB batters looked ready for it. At the end of the power play RCB was at a good score of a decent run rate with the Lucknow bowlers not being able to get into a rhythm. Lucknow had a breakthrough in form of a shot by an RCB batsmen that took it towards the fielders and brought back a bit of energy into the bowling side and also to the fielders. The fielding became more attacking and the bowlers tried different variations and used more slower ones and cutters than they previously were and it was a lull in scoring of 2-3 overs.
Middle order composure
This is where the experience of the RCB started to come in to use. The middle order batters showed amazing calmness and made sure that the batting line up would not fall. They focused more on rotating the strike to one or two runs per ball and attacked the weak match ups that they got. The partnership ensured that the Lucknow Super Giants did not dominate and one hit from anywhere turned it into a boundary at any given time.
Death overs finish
The match in the final over completely transformed, the LSG batters went all out and attacked everything from yorkers being turned into boundaries and softer balls being hit for six and it brought the RCB fans onto their feet while the Lucknow bowlers were struggling to keep up and perform with the great stroke play of the final overs. The final score after 20 overs by RCB were 185/7 with a score that looked hard to get on the pitch and conditions that were being used, their opener would have given them an amazing start while their middle order also put up a strong front. Their finishing would have been phenomenal to witness. The entire team looked to be very confident with the score that they had posted to chase.
Lucknow Super Giants Chase
Chasing a target of 186 is never easy, but it does seem doable if you have the batting that LSG have. The Lucknow openers walked out with confident looks on their face. The crowd of Lucknow were backing the openers.
Cautious Start
Lucknow made sure that they did not attack like the Royal Challengers did from ball one and took time to get into the game. A couple of boundaries would have settled their nerves.
Early Wicket
The RCB bowlers ensured that they would keep the run rate low from ball one, and took a wicket of the LSG openers very early, which was the thing they needed. “This put immediate pressure on the Lucknow batters coming in to the crease.”
Middle order fightback
The Lucknow middle order came and tried to stabilize the batting. “A crucial partnership was formed.” The two batters rotated the strike well, and punished the bad ball while taking easy singles at other times. Lucknow were right in to the game at this point, the asking run rate being comfortable enough.
RCB strike back
Right at the peak of the game, two wickets falling in quick succession took the match away from Lucknow. The two batters were bowled, one attempting to clear the rope and the other attempting to put away a wide one for boundaries and they put the pressure straight back on LSG.
Final Overs Drama
Every ball from here would have felt like an actual thriller. “The game still hanging in the balance, Lucknow needed important runs while RCB wanted to finish the game then and there.” Lucknow did take the boundaries on, but the RCB death bowling was brilliant, they used yorkers, slower ones and bowling outside the wider part of the off-stump to keep Lucknow from scoring freely. The 19th over was really crucial and a fantastic catch taken by one of the fielders at the boundary brought back the Royal Challengers into the driver’s seat.
Conclusion
Lucknow Super Giants fought to the final ball but Royal Challengers Bengaluru held on to their nerves and successfully defended the total, a fantastic team effort from them with batting, bowling and fielding, and gave a significant boost to their chances of making the playoffs. Lucknow’s loss put additional pressure on them.
