De Kock, Bishnoi guide Lucknow to tricky win over Delhi

The Lucknow Super Giants registered their third win on the bounce in IPL 2022 to climb up to the second spot in the table as they edged past the Delhi Capitals by six wickets at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday. Chasing 150, Quinton de Kock laid the platform for the Super Giants with an excellent 80 off 54 deliveries before Ayush Badoni and Krunal Pandya finished the job for Lucknow in the final over with two balls to spare.

While Lucknow eventually came away with the victory, KL Rahul’s side had to withstand a phenomenal innings from Prithvi Shaw after putting the Capitals in to bat. Shaw was the only Delhi batter that looked comfortable on a tricky surface as he bludgeoned 61 off just 34 deliveries to give the team an electric start in the powerplay. Shaw hit nine 4s and two 6s in his stay at the crease and pummelled the likes of Jason Holder and Avesh Khan through the off-side to race away to a 30-ball fifty. 

Shaw continued his onslaught against Krishnappa Gowtham, taking the off-spinner for a four and a six before perishing while looking for his third boundary in a row, edging behind to Quinton de Kock on 61.

Unfortunately for the Capitals, apart from Shaw, none of the batters could come to the grips with the pitch, and in the remaining 86 deliveries they faced in the innings, they managed less than run a ball. Delhi had no answers to the Lucknow spinners in particular, with Ravi Bishnoi removing the returning David Warner and Rovman Powell, while Krishnappa Gowtham became the first bowler in the IPL to bowl a maiden to Rishabh Pant. The Delhi captain managed just eight runs from his first 19 deliveries but managed to stage a decent recovery by the end, sharing a 75-run partnership off 57 deliveries alongside Sarfaraz Khan and adding 50 runs in the last five overs to take DC to 149.

However, with the dew setting in, defending such a low total would be far from straightforward, and thanks to some superb striking from Quinton de Kock early on, Lucknow got off to an excellent start in the chase. The South African took on his countryman Anrich Nortje – who had an off-colour night on return from injury – for three fours and a six in his opening over and continued to lead the charge for the Super Giants after the dismissals of KL Rahul and Evin Lewis.

Nortje also bowled two beamers in the 14th and 16th over, forcing the umpires to remove him from the attack after 2.2 overs. The Super Giants stuttered as they approached the finish line after Kuldeep removed de Kock for 80, but Krunal Pandya and Ayush Badoni held their nerve in the final two overs to give Lucknow their third victory of the season.