New Delhi: Quinton de Kock’s brilliant half-century and Mayank Yadav’s dynamic bowling helped Lucknow Supergiants to an IPL victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday.
Lucknow’s total of 181 for 5 was accompanied by de Kock’s impressive 81 from 56 balls, complemented by Nicholas Pooran’s unbeaten 40.
A stunning three-wicket haul from Mayank Yadav (3/14) meant the hosts were bowled out for 153 despite a brief RCB surge led by Mahipal Rommelur’s attacking effort of 33 off just 13 balls.
But in reality, RCB’s chase never really materialized, partly due to their own stupidity and partly due to the superiority of the Lucknow bowlers.
Lucknow started the bowling with two spinners, Manimaran Siddharth and Krunal Pandya, surprising Faf du Plessis (13/19) and Virat Kohli (16/22).
However, with the introduction of pacer Naveen-ul-Haq, Kohli gained more momentum by hitting six runs over the heads of the bowlers.
Left-arm spinner Siddharth soon got a big wicket from the in-form Kohli, who tried to go inside out but was easily caught by Devdutt Padikkal at backward point.
From the moment RCB lost captain du Plessis, their form deteriorated as reckless runs from Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green reduced them to 58 for 4 in 8 overs.
In this phase, Mayank increased his pace with three overs (3-0-13-2).
Maxwell tried to fire a 151km/h laser beam from Mayank, but the high pace meant the Australian couldn’t time it well, resulting in Pooran taking an easy catch at short mid-wicket.
Green succumbed to Mayank’s blistering pace as his delivery became a little straighter after clearing the stumps and bowling a good length.
The right-arm pacer then added Rajat Patidar (27) in the crease to reduce RCB to 103 for 6, with the home team quickly going down at that point.
Earlier, de Kock showed excellent batting skills and scored 50, but Lucknow could not get beyond a draw.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
