KKR vs LSG: LSG in IPL 2023 playoffs after 1-run win, Gujarat Titans to play Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier 1
Lucknow Super Giants defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 1 run at the Eden Gardens on Saturday to seal a spot in the playoffs of the 2023 Indian Premier League.
This means defending champions Gujarat Titans will play Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier 1 in Chennai while LSG who will finish at No.3 will play the Eliminator and get only chance to make it to the final.
Both Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants finished the league stage with 17 points from 14 matches but CSK took the second spot thanks to a superior net run rate. KKR almost pulled off a sensational win thanks to Rinku Singh’s unbeaten 67 off 33 balls.
MI and RCB in Contention
Now, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore will face must-win matches on Sunday. Both teams have 14 points so far but RCB have the better net run rate.
Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore will be in action on Sunday for their final league matches. While MI take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium, RCB will take on GT who became the first team to book a playoff berth this season.
Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians had finished bottom of the table last seasons. On the other hand, RCB are eyeing their fourth successive playoff berth in the IPL.
Chennai Super Kings will take on defending champions Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 at the Chepauk on Tuesday. While the Titans were already assured of the top spot, Super Kings secured the second spot after KKR went past 79 in their chase of 177.
Pooran Show
Nicholas Pooran headlined the Lucknow Super Giants innings with a 30-ball 58 as the visitors scored 176 for 8 off their 20 overs as Vaibhav Arora and Sunil Narine starred with the ball for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
After KKR skipper Nitish Rana won the toss and chose to field, Harshit Rana struck early to dismiss Karn Sharma while Vaibhav Arora removed Prerak Mankad and the dangerous Marcus Stoinis in the space of two balls. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy picked the important wickets of Quinton de Kock respectively as LSG slipped to 73 for 5.
Nicholas Pooran’s rescue act helped LSG reach a competitive total but it also almost meant CSK would finish in the top two even if KKR lost unless the hosts folded for 79 or less.
Chasing 177, KKR got off to a quick start thanks to Jason Roy and Venkatesh Iyer. Krishnappa Gowtham ended the dangerous opening stand when he dismissed Iyer in the 6th over. Nitish Rana, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Andre Russell and Shardul Thakur failed as KKR looked to finish their season with a win and the onus was once again on Rinku Singh who played a stellar role this year as a finishing batter. On Saturday, he smashed another half-century to give KKR a slim hope.
Rinku Singh’s Effort
KKR needed 41 to get off the last two overs and Rinku Singh took on Naveen-ul-Haq to hit the LSG pacer for 4, 4, 4, 2 and 6 to collect 20 runs from the penultimate over. The hosts needed 21 off the last 6 balls and the equation came down to 18 off the last three balls after a wide from Yash Thakur. Rinku hit a six and a four which sealed LSG’s spot in the playoffs.
In the first match on Saturday, Chennai Super Kings had defeated Delhi Capitals by 77 runs after Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway starred with the bat to add 141 for the first wicket. Set with a stiff 224-run chase, DC were never in the game after Tushar Deshpande and Deepak Chahar rocked their top-order. Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana also picked two wickets apiece to cap off a brilliant league stage for the Super Kings.
David Warner top-scored for the Capitals with 86 but a lone battle waged by the captain was never going to be enough. DC, Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad were out of the reckoning for the playoffs before the weekend even as multiple teams vied for the three remaining playoff spots.