LUCKNOW (Uttar Pradesh): Kyle Mayers’ blistering knock of 73 from 38 balls helped Lucknow Super Giants set up a massive target of 194 against Delhi Capitals at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.
Putting Lucknow Super Giants to bat after winning the toss, Delhi Capitals got the wicket of skipper KL Rahul for 8 as he was dismissed by left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya. LSG lost their first wicket at the score of 19 in the fourth over.
Kyle Mayers and Deepak Hooda then struck a partnership for Lucknow and the duo took their team’s total beyond the 50-run mark in 7.1 overs.
Mayers kept on attacking Delhi bowlers and notched up his half-century in just 28 balls. Mayers alongwith Hooda put on a 50-run stand for the second wicket in just 27 balls.
The 79-run partnership was finally broken when Kuldeep Yadav got the wicket of Hooda for 17, made from 18 balls, and LSG lost their second wicket for 98.
Krunal Pandya joined Mayers and took the team’s total beyond the triple-figure mark in 11.2 overs. But in the very next delivery, Axar Patel cleaned up Mayers’ stumps dismissing him for 73, which came from 38 balls and included seven sixes and two boundaries.
Marcus Stoinis then joined Krunal but failed to make much of an impact as Khaleel Ahmed dismissed him for 12, getting him caught behind by wicket-keeper batter Sarfaraz Khan.
Nicholas Pooran replaced Stoinis and alongwith Krunal took the side’s total beyond the 150-run mark in 17 overs. Pooran was the aggressor of the two, hitting massive sixes and boundaries.
Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed finally broke the 48-run partnership between Pooran and Krunal. He dismissed Pooran for 36, which were made from 21 balls, as LSG lost their fifth wicket for 165.
Khaleel finished with figures of 2/30 in four overs and he was immediately substituted by ‘Impact Player’ Aman Khan.
Ayush Badoni walked out to bat and went on to hit some big sixes in the final over of Sakariya to take the team’s total beyond the 180-run mark.
Badoni was dismissed by Sakariya in the second last ball of the match for 18 from just 7 balls.
Krishnappa Gowtham walked out to bat as an ‘Impact Player’ for Lucknow Super Giants substituting Badoni and went on to hit six in the last ball of the innings to take the team’s total to 193/6 in 20 overs.
Brief scores: Lucknow Super Giants 193/6 in 20 overs (Kyle Mayers 73 (38), Nicholas Pooran 36(21); Khaleel Ahmed 2/30) vs Delhi Capitals. (ANI)