Young tearaway pacer Mayank Yadav (3-14) bowled a sensational spell that included the fastest delivery of this edition at 156.7kmph after opener Quinton de Kock (81) and Nicholas Pooran (40 not out) set the platform to help Lucknow Super Giants defeat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 28 runs in Match 15 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Tuesday.
Quinton de Kock had set the ball rolling for LSG after RCB skipper Faf du Plessis had asked them to bat first by hammering a 56-ball 81, raising two half-century partnerships with captain K.L Rahul (20) and Marcus Stoinis (24). However, RCB pulled things back a bit by applying brakes on LSG, who were looking good to cross 200. Nicholas Pooran blasted five sixes in the last two overs in scoring a 21-ball 40 as LSG posted 181/5 in 20 overs.
The target of 182 looked gettable considering RCB has batters like Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green besides one of the top finishers in Dinesh Karthik. However, Mayank Yadav had other ideas as he rattled RCB with sheer pace and destroyed their innings and confidence in a superb spell of three overs. He eventually finished with 3-14 to put LSG on course to victory.
The 21-year-old Yadav, who had taken 3-27 in his debut match against Punjab Kings on Saturday, had breached the 150kmph mark nine times at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium and bowled an absolute scorcher captured by the speed gun at 155.8 kph -- the fastest delivery in the ongoing season.
On Tuesday, he was at it again as the right-handed pacer raised the bar once again. Yadav, a product of Sonnet Club of Delhi, touched 156.7 kmph against Cameron Green in Tuesday's clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
He got the wickets of Glenn Maxwell (0), Cameron Green (9) and Rajat Patidar (29) and with Naveen-Ul-Haq claiming 2-25, Lucknow Super Giants bowled out RCB for 153 in 19.4 overs to win their second win in three matches and moved up to fourth in the standings with four points, the same as Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, and Gujarat Titans. Rajasthan Royals lead the standings with six points from three matches. This was the 14th time in 16 matches that Lucknow have won the match after batting first in the IPL.
Yadav's heroics came after opener Quinton de Kock had blasted a 59-ball 81 to lay the foundation while Nicholas Pooran hammered five sixes in the final two overs of the match in scoring a 21-ball 40 to propel LSG to 181/5 in 20 overs after RCB had applied the brakes in the middle overs.
RCB had got off a good start with Virat Kohli, who had struck back-to-back half-centuries in the tournament so far, striking two boundaries and a six in scoring a 16-ball 22. The former RCB and India captain fell to left-arm spinner Manimaran Siddharth in the fifth over as LSG skipper opened the bowling with left-arm spinners from both ends. Krunal Pandya conceded 10 runs in the only over he bowled but Siddharth finished with 1-21 in the three overs he bowled on Tuesday night.
LSG suffered another blow as skipper Faf du Plessis was run out to a superb piece of direct throw by Davdutt Padikkal for 19. Yadav then sent back Maxwell and Cameron Green in quick succession as RCB fell to 58/4 in the eighth over. Anuj Rawat (11) and Rajat Patidar (29, 21b, 2x4, 2x6) tried to revive the innings but both of them fell in quick succession and RCB were 103/6 and staring at defeat.
Mahipal Lomror raised their hopes with some lusty hitting, hammering three huge sixes and as many boundaries for a brilliant 13-ball 39 and towards the end of the innings Mohammed Siraj blasted back-to-back sixes off Ravi Bishnoi before he was caught sensationally by Nicholas Pooran off Naveen-Ul-Haq off the fourth ball of the final over as RCB ended on the losing note.
While Mayank Yadav hogged the limelight for his mesmerising pace bowling, LSG did well in the field too, catching and fielding superbly. Devdutt Padikkal took three catches and effected a run out while Nicholas Pooran also took three catches and got a run-out with a direct hit.
De Kock went berserk at the start of the innings, raising 53 runs for the opening wicket with skipper K.L Rahul (20) and 56 for the third wicket with Marcus Stoinis (24) after RCB skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss and opted to field first.
However, RCB pulled things back a bit, sending down some miserly overs towards the end of the innings before Nicholas Pooran hammered five sixes in the last two overs for 40 not out off 21 deliveries to help them to a defendable total. Glenn Maxwell was the best of the RCB bowlers with 2-23 off his four overs.
LSG were off to a good start, with Quinton de Kock and K.L Rahul raising 53 runs for the opening wicket partnership. De Kock started in whirlwind fashion hitting 32 runs in the fifty-run partnership. The South African wicketkeeper-batter hammered three boundaries off Reece Topley, who came in for fellow English pacer Alzarri Joseph, starting with a top-edge off the third delivery of the opening over and following that up with a loft over cover-point on a fullish delivery and a punch to deep backward point fence off the next delivery.
A drive to deep-point boundary off Yash Dayal in the second over by the left-handed opener was followed by back-to-back sixes off Mohammed Siraj -- a superb pick-up off his pads into the first-tier followed by a blast over deep backward square leg on the next.
Quinton de Kock, who got a life when Maxwell put down a difficult chance while back-pedaling, found an able partner in Marcus Stoinis as they both raised 56 runs for the third-wicket partnership.
De Kock completed his half-century off 36 balls, hitting five boundaries and three maximums. LSG reached 100 off in the 12th over and they reached fifty off their partnership soon off 26 balls.
RCB applied the brakes with Yash Dayal bowling a two-run 15th over and Reece Topley and Mohd Siraj following that up with similar miserly overs, de Kock blasted Siraj for two boundaries in the 16th over to pull things back for LSG as they reached 141/3 in 16 overs.
With four overs to go and LSG looking to break free hoping to reach 200, Nicholas Pooran was dropped by keeper Anuj Rawat off Reece Topley but de Kock was not so lucky as he fell off the next ball, trying to hit a big one off a low and slow full-toss and Mayank Dagar pouched a well-judged catch at long-off to see the back of the South African for 81 off 56 balls, studded with eight boundaries and five maximums.
Pooran blasted a hat-trick of sixes off Topley -- a flat six off a dipping full-toss, followed by a repeat of the shot over deep point and topped it by pulling a slow short one outside off and deposited into on the roof of the stadium for a 106m six. The over cost RCB 20 runs. Pooran hammered two back-to-back sixes off Siraj after the pacer had conceded only 1 run in three balls of the final over, as LSG crossed the 180-run mark.
LSG then defended the total easily with Mayank Yadav making all the difference for them.
Brief scores:
Lucknow Super Giants 181/5 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 81, Nicholas Pooran 40 not out; Glenn Maxwell 2-23) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru 153 all out in 19.4 overs (Mahipal Lomror 33, Rajat Patidar 29; Mayank Yadav 3-14, Naveen-Ul-Haq 2-25) by 28 runs.
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