LSG vs RCB, IPL 2022 Eliminator: Virat Kohli’s return to form headlines Bangalore’s challenge against Lucknow – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Taking the inner road to the lucrative IPL 2022 final, which goes through another Qualifier 2 match, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants will square off in Eliminator of the IPL 2022 at Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens on Wednesday.

Stating the obvious, both the sides booked their third and fourth spots at the IPL league stages at the fag end while seeing off challenges from the likes of Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders following a see-saw battle.

File image of RCB players: Sportzpics

Fourth-placed RCB had to depend on Virat Kohli returning to form when it mattered with a fluent half-century after a string of dismal knocks; resulting in RCB’s third and decisive win in last four matches to accumulate 16 points from 14 games. Not to forget that they have a certain Tim David of Mumbai Indians to thank, whose 11-ball 34 against Delhi Capitals kept RCB ahead in the points table while sparking wild celebrations from the camp.

LSG, on the other hand, lost the plot at the fag end of the season with back-to-back losses in their penultimate games before Quinton de Kock’s mesmerising innings of 140 not out against KKR in the last game brought life back into the side.

Star watch

Virat Kohli: The former RCB skipper returning to form in the last game was just what doctor ordered ahead of the play-offs. His 54-ball 73 against the table-toppers Gujarat Giants, who have already booked a place in the final, made a tricky chase of 169 easy for the outfit, who were struggling to chase down targets prior to the match. Of course, there are other key performers in Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik, who have played more reliable knocks down the order for them. But Kohli’s return to form has not just excited the fans but perhaps has instilled a sense of fear among the rival camps as well.

Quinton de Kock: The South African opener was at his quintessential best in the last game as he took just 70 deliveries to pile up a sumptuous 140 not out. Such was the impact of the knock that his unbeaten partner, skipper KL Rahul, on the other end, looked a mere spectator with his 51-ball 68 while garbing the fact that he is also the leading run-scorer of the team. However, skeptics are still not certain about an undercooked middle-order of LSG as the bulk of scoring is done by the top-order and has been their shortcoming in the latest games.

Uncapped watch

Mohsin Khan: LSG certainly boast a strong bowling line-up with the likes of Jason Holder, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi doing the star turn often but it is the unheralded pacer Mohsin Khan who completes them. In the high-scoring game against KKR last week, it was his spell of 3/20 that stood out and contained the wickets of big fishes in Andre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer. In fact, his economy rate in the last five games has seldom crossed 6 while 13 wickets in eight games also shows he is a strike bowler; making him a double-edged sword.

Quote Corner

“Harshal Patel has done what we know he can do. He creates pressure and takes wickets. He loves the death overs. Not many people put their hands up and say I want to do that job,” RCB coach Mike Hesson ahead of the Eliminator.

“In a match like this, your opponent is not just your rival but the conditions as well and at Eden it is the humidity. Irrespective of all that, we are going to play good cricket because that’s how we have been doing so far and that’s the mood in the camp,” says Vijay Dahiya, LSG assistant coach.

Squads  

Lucknow Super Giants Squad: Quinton de Kock(wk), KL Rahul(c), Evin Lewis, Deepak Hooda, Manan Vohra, Marcus Stoinis, Jason Holder, Krishnappa Gowtham, Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Manish Pandey, Krunal Pandya, Ayush Badoni, Shahbaz Nadeem, Dushmantha Chameera, Kyle Mayers, Ankit Rajpoot, Andrew Tye, Karan Sharma, Mayank Yadav

Royal Challengers Bangalore Squad: Faf du Plessis(c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik(wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Siddarth Kaul, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Karn Sharma, David Willey, Jason Behrendorff, Chama V Milind, Finn Allen, Suyash Prabhudessai, Anuj Rawat, Sherfane Rutherford, Aneeshwar Gautam