Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper KL Rahul on Thursday (7th April) praised his bowlers for the ‘brilliant’ performance against Delhi Capitals (DC) in match 15 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 in Mumbai.
LSG registered their third consecutive win of the season after they defeated DC by six wickets. Bowling first, after winning the toss, they looked clueless against the onslaught by Prithvi Shaw, who scored 61 runs in 34 balls.
However, after that, they pulled back things brilliantly and made Delhi batters struggle for their timing. On account of Ravi Bishnoi’s 2/22, the Rahul-led side then restricted DC to a total of just 149 runs.
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Chasing the target, openers Rahul (24) and Quinton de Kock stitched a 73-run partnership and laid the platform for other batters to follow. They did struggle in the middle phase but de Kock’s 80-run Kock and Ayush Badoni’s (10*) brilliant finish under pressure sealed the game for LSG with two balls to spare.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, KL Rahul said although they conceded extra runs in the powerplay, they were overall brilliant with the ball. He revealed that after the first six overs, they assessed things and bowled better.
“I think we were brilliant (with the ball). In the powerplay, we obviously need to go back and work on. But that’s how powerplays go sometimes. We assessed things well after that and bowled better. Obviously, would have loved the bowlers to assess things a bit earlier, but it was nice to see them discuss the lines, lengths and pace to bowl after the powerplay,” KL Rahul said.
Rahul mentioned his confusion during the toss, saying it's difficult to predict how the fresh pitches will behave at the start of the tournament. He also talked about the prodigious Ayush Badoni. He said it's important for the 22-year-old to "keep working hard and stay humble."
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“That was the honest reason actually (on him saying at the toss that he had no idea why he opted to bowl). Can’t make up a reason everytime. You don’t know what to expect of the pitch. Early on in the competition when the pitches are fresh, teams might want to bowl first. Once the tournament goes on and the pitches grip a bit, teams might want to bat.
“He (Badoni) has held his nerve everytime he has gone into bat and he’s delivered for us under pressure. Great learning for him, important for him to keep working hard and stay humble. Been a complete team effort so far. The way everyone has stepped up has been brilliant,” he said.
LSG will next face Rajasthan Royals on Sunday (10th April) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
(ANI inputs)
