IPL 2023: LSG defend record 257 to jump to 2nd spot after terrific all-round show vs PBKS
Lucknow Super Giants defeated Punjab Kings by 57 runs in Mohali after a demolition job by their batters on Friday.
LSG smashed 257 for 5 off their 20 overs, the second-highest team total in IPL history thanks to a stunning half-century from Marcus Stoinis, Kyle Mayers and brilliant knocks from Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni.
LSG have often come under scrutiny this season for lack of a more aggressive approach from their batters. On Friday, after KL Rahul failed on a batting paradise, the rest of his teammates made sure they hit boundaries and sixes at will. Just 6 days back, LSG had failed to chase down 136 against defending champions Gujarat Titans and KL Rahul who scored 68 off 61 balls, had no way of explaining that defeat.
On Friday, the LSG approach had changed. They became the second team after RCB to post a 250+ total in the IPL. They posted the highest IPL total in Mohali. And all that happened because LSG’s batters did not want to waste any opportunity to score runs against a bowling attack clearly deflated with the early onslaught from Kyle Mayers.
LSG moved to the 2nd spot, leapfrogging Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings on the IPL 2023 points table after clinching their 5th win of the season in 8 matches.
IPL 2023: Points Table
Chasing a daunting 258, PBKS got off to a horror start. Shikhar Dhawan returned to the field for PBKS after 15 days and he fell to Marcus Stoinis in the first over of the innings. Prabhsimran Singh was sent back by Naveen-ul-Haq in the 4th over. PBKS reached 55 for 2 at the end of the Powerplay and they were still way behind the asking rate which continued to shoot up.
However, Atharva Taide, a Vidarbha batter in his maiden IPL season, showcased his mettle, hitting 66 off just 36 balls. His score was aided by handy contributions from Sikandar Raza, Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma and Sam Curran as Punjab Kings posted 201 on the board.
However, it was not enough as PBKS lost the match by 56 runs.
Young Yash Thakur stepped up with 4 wickets as Lucknow Super Giants managed their bowling attack well despite losing Marcus Stoinis to an injury after he picked up the wicket of Dhawan.
Naveen-ul-Haq finished with figures of 3 for 30 in his 4-over spell as Lucknow completed a comprehensive win on Friday.
Lucknow Super Giants’ 257 for 5 was the second highest team total in the history of the Indian Premier League. LSG became only the second team after Royal Challengers Bangalore to breach the 250-run mark in the IPL. It was a frenetic evening. KL Rahul started slowly again after getting a lifeline when he was dropped off IPL debutant Gurnoor Brar in the first ball of the LSG innings.
KL Rahul hit Kagiso Rabada for a six off his first ball and it looked like the LSG captain had something special coming up on a flat Mohali pitch. However, he was dismissed in the next ball and that paved the way for a stunning assault from the LSG batters. Kyle Mayers set the tone for LSG with a rapid 54 off 24 balls. He was unstoppable and got a measure of the pitch very early. Mayers hit 7 fours and 4 sixes in his innings to completely catch the Punjab Kings bowlers off guard.
No bowler was spared apart from Rahul Chahar. Gurnoor Brar was substituted after he had bowled 3 overs but even the more seasoned Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh were taken to the cleaners. The two conceded 106 runs in 8 overs between them – with that kind of talent being hit for those many runs, it was difficult for PBKS to stop the carnage. Chahar stood out with figures of 4-0-29-0. He was difficult to get away and no LSG batter was willing to take a risk against the young leg-spinner
It was a spectacular batting performance. Ayush Badoni was sent up the order at No.3 and he responded with 43 off 24. Marcus Stoinis’s 72 was his best ever IPL score while Nicholas Pooran smashed 45 off 19 balls.
At one point, it looked like LSG would break RCB’s record for the highest team total in the IPL. Back in 2023, RCB had smashed 263 for 5 off 20 overs against Pune Warriors thanks to Chris Gayle’s 175 not out off 66 balls. LSG did displace RCB from the second spot in the list for highest team totals, though. For nearly 7 years, RCB had also held on to the No.2 rank in the list for highest IPL team total.
The LSG innings was studded with 27 fours and 14 sixes in an innings that even entertained the most loyal PBKS fans in Mohali.