LUCKNOW : Quinton de Kock’s half-century helped Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) propel to 199/8 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 11th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
After winning the toss, Lucknow decided to bat first. Following which, Quinton de Kock (54 runs from 38 balls) and KL Rahul (15 runs from 9 balls) opened for the hosts and could only place a partnership of 35 runs.
The opening partnership was broken after Arshdeep Singh made the first breakthrough of the game in the 4th over as he dismissed Rahul.
After losing the first wicket, Devdutt Padikkal (9 runs from 6 balls) tried to take control of the match but failed to make a mark in the game but he fell short in front of Sam Curran in the 6th over.
Marcus Stoinis (19 runs from 12 balls) came on the crease to replace Padikkal. He amassed the fans by smashing 2 sixes. However, Rahul Chahar bagged Stoinis’ wicket in the 9th over.
Soon after losing three wickets, LSG’s stand-in skipper, Nicholas Pooran (42 runs from 21 balls), made a solid partnership and helped the hosts add a few runs on the board. The partnership was broken after Arshdeep picked up his second wicket of the match after dismissing De Kock in the 14th over.
Pooran’s knock had to come to an end as Kagiso Rabada removed him in the 16th over.
Sam Curran was on fire in the 19th over as he removed Ayush Badoni (8 runs from 10 balls) and Ravi Bishnoi (0 runs from 1 ball) in two consecutive balls. The Englishman’s over helped Punjab keep track of Lucknow’s run rate.
However, Krunal Pandya (43 runs from 22 balls) played the role of a finisher as he took Lucknow to a total of 199/8 after the end of the 20 overs. Pandya slammed 4 fours and 2 sixes at a strike rate of 195.45.
The last wicket of the inning came in the 20th over when Mohsin Khan (2 runs from 1 ball) was dismissed from a runout.
On the other hand, Curran led the Punjab bowling attack as he picked up three wickets in his four-over spell. Arshdeep Singh bagged two wickets after delivering three overs. Kagiso Rabada and Rahul Chahar could manage to take just one wicket in their respective spells.
The visitors need to make 200 runs from 20 overs to win the match against Lucknow.
Brief Score: Lucknow Super Giants 199/8 (Quinton de Kock 54, Krunal Pandya 43*, Nicholas Pooran 42; Sam Curran 3/28) vs Punjab Kings. (ANI)