RR vs LSG: Rajasthan Royals succumb to pressure in defeat to Lucknow Super Giants

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Wednesday got the better of Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) contest in Jaipur, by 10 runs. And it certainly was not easy.

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Lucknow Super Giants, after being asked to bat first, were restricted to 154/7 in their 20 overs, and even on a slow pitch at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, for a few moments during the run-chase, it seemed as though Rajasthan Royals would walk off with a comfortable victory.

But, that was not meant to be, despite the early promises shown by Yashasvi Jaiswal (44) and Jos Buttler (40).

The duo forged an 87-run stand for the first wicket, before Jaiswal was caught by Avesh Khan at short third off Marcus Stoinis’ ball, and barring a 37-run stand between Devdutt Padikkal and Riyan Parag later on, for the fifth wicket, nothing much seemed to work for the Royals after that early flourish.

Samson had walked into bat at number three following Jaiswal’s dismissal, and it was probably Samson’s run-out, following a mix-up with Buttler, that cost RR the game dearly.

Had Samson and Buttler built on the strong start set by Jaiswal and Buttler, the script would have been somewhat different and the game would not have gone this deep. But, it was a slow wicket anyway so it was hard to tell.

Samson was quick to admit the Royals’ mistakes, and said that the team would take some valuable lessons from the defeat.

“They bowled really well, whenever we tried to go hard at them, I think we lost wickets. 5 overs 50 in this kind of wicket is a bit tough with the way they were bowling. Even if you win or lose a game, you take lessons out of it, that’s the beauty of this game. We’ll be taking lot of lessons out of it. We did a reasonably good job to restrict them to 150.,” the RR skipper said at the presentation ceremony.

Avesh Khan, the game changer

Pacer Avesh Khan was possibly the game changer for Lucknow Super Giants on Wednesday.

Avesh Khan was introduced early on in the RR run chase, but he once again proved how effective he can be in the death overs for LSG.

Avesh struck for the first time in the first ball of the 16^th over, and got rid of Shimron Hetmyer (2). Hetmyer was the star for RR against Gujarat Titans just a few days back, but probably Avesh Khan was just too strong for him.

Avesh came up with a full length delivery that was angled across the batter outside the off-stump, Hetmyer tried to do what he does best: Go for the slog over long on, but instead Hetmyer toe-ended it towards KL Rahul, the fielder who completed the catch there.

Hetmyer was probably the last hope for RR and it was clear that Avesh had set his priorities right: Getting rid of the big fish in timely fashion.

Fast forward to the 20^th over, Avesh was right at it once again. RR needed 19 runs off the last six balls, and Parag, facing Avesh, began on a confident note, hitting Avesh for a boundary, piercing over backward point for four.

However, Avesh turned the tables in Lucknow’s favour yet again. RR still needed 14 runs off the last four deliveries, and had there been the likes of Samson or Hetmyer, things would have been different, but that was not the case on Wednesday. Avesh and LSG had the upper hand ever since wickets started to fall for RR, and the pacer struck again, in the third ball of the over, to get rid of Padikkal (26), another batter who failed to convert his start.

Dhruv Jurel then quickly made his entrance into the middle, hoping to create some magic, but he too succumbed to pressure, as LSG fielders displayed their sharpness, with Deepak Hooda taking a catch at long-on.

Marcus Stoinis finally strikes

Marcus Stoinis had not bowled a single over in IPL 2023 before this match. And on Wednesday, the Aussie not only bowled his full quota of four overs, but also picked up two crucial wickets to decimate the opposition’s top-order.

Stoinis struck for the first time in the 12^th over for LSG, removing Yashasvi Jaiswal, and following Sanju Samson’s run-out dismissal, Stoinis struck once again, this time, to get rid of the other dangerman Jos Buttler.

After the game, Stoinis said he just used his ‘cricketing smarts’ on the day.

“Nice to get involved with the ball, had no real plans to get Jos out that way but I just used some cricketing smarts and bowled it short into the wicket. We identified this is a difficult wicket, so we realised we don’t need a 50 off 20 balls on this surface. (On whether he will bowl more) You will have to ask the skipper that question, but fitness wise I’m ready to go. All good,” said the Aussie.

For Stoinis, it was all the more special, as he won the Player of the Match award for his heroics with the ball.

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