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Lucknow Super Giants
By GURLEEN KAUR 735 views
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All-Round Krunal Pandya Guides Lucknow Super Giants to Victory Over Sunrisers Hyderabad

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) gave Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) a serious wake-up call in the 10th match of IPL 2023 – they chased down the target of 122 with 5 wickets in hand in just 16 overs.

Friday’s low-scoring match at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow saw all-rounder Krunal Pandya step up and play a crucial role in guiding the hosts, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), to an impressive 5-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The win put LSG firmly at the top of the Indian Premier League 2023 standings with 4 points from 3 games.

Krunal Pandya’s Impressive Bowling Display Takes Center Stage

Krunal Pandya bowled an impressive 3 for 18, and Amit Mishra (2/23) and Ravi Bishnoi (1/16) also helped Lucknow Super Giants restrict SRH to a below-par 121 for 8. Krunal changed the game when he came on in the third over, taking out Mayank Agarwal who mistimed a chip straight to cover.

He got two wickets in an over after he changed ends, trapping Anmolpreet Singh on the back leg with an arm ball and bowling Aiden Markram with a delivery that straightened a touch.

Abdul Samad Cameo Takes SRH to 121

Despite Rahul Tripathi‘s 35 off 41, it could have been much worse for SRH after opting to bat. But Samad, walking in at No.7, picked a couple of sixes off Jaydev Unadkat in the last over and finished on 21* off 10 balls, thus taking SRH to something they could look to defend.

Until then, SRH had been struggling to get to 110, ’cause their trio of spinners had them all tied up. Krunal was the standout, but Amit Mishra (2 for 23) and Ravi Bishnoi (1 for 16) weren’t far behind.

Krunal Pandya Contributes with the Bat as Well

Krunal had innings at a strike rate of nearly 148 on a tricky pitch where Washington Sundar struggled for his 28-ball 16, the second-slowest by an SRH batter. He came out to bat in the 7th over and got going with a cover drive off Markram, then smashed Adil Rashid for a six-over long-on.

He also hit a couple of boundaries against Umran Malik before being caught behind, beaten for pace by the pacer.

KL Rahul Steers the Chase

The LSG captain scored 35 off 31 balls and was involved in a 55-run stand with Krunal for the third wicket. Rahul looked set to take his side over the line, but Adil Rashid put pay to that, defeating his reverse sweep with a leg break before trapping Romario Shepherd with the googly next ball.

But LSG had enough headstart and chased the target with four overs to spare.

 

Notable Omissions and Left-Field Calls

Quinton de Kock did not play in the game, despite being expected to slot in right away. SRH went in with only three overseas players in their XI, keeping their options for Impact Player open on a pitch that nobody was sure about.

But their choice of Impact Player later in the game surprised me even more. Fazalhaq Farooqi, a left-arm pacer, was chosen ahead of a spinner from the five subs listed.

Pitch Talk

The pitch talk in the lead-up to the game was huge. After all, this game wasn’t going to be played on a red-soil pitch like last week. A black-soil pitch was readied for this game, the likes of which had hosted the T20I against New Zealand recently and came in for heavy criticism.

Aiden Markram called the pitch “very dry” at the toss, so it played. And it was in stark contrast to the high-scoring playing surface on offer against Delhi Capitals. So the kind of pitches that LSG play on in the home games to come will be interesting to see.

Player of the Match: Krunal Pandya

After the match, Krunal Pandya expressed his satisfaction with his performance, referring to it as a “very good day at the office”. He was pleased to have contributed to all three aspects of the game – batting, bowling, and fielding.

Pandya mentioned that he had specifically focused on improving his bowling for this season. He also highlighted the significance of the wicket of Aiden Markram, stating that it was particularly special.

Conclusion

The match between Lucknow Super Giants and SRH was a low-scoring affair, with the former winning by five wickets. The standout performer was Krunal Pandya, who took three wickets for just 18 runs with the ball and then scored 34 runs off 23 balls with the bat.

With this win, LSG climbed to the top of the IPL 2023 standings with four points from three games. They have the same points as defending champions Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings, the two unbeaten sides, but sit on top via a better run rate of 1.358. LSG will be hoping to continue their winning form in their upcoming matches, and fans will be eagerly waiting to see if Krunal Pandya can continue to deliver such all-around performances.

Gurleen Kaur
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GURLEEN KAUR

Gurleen Kaur, a seasoned content writer with a flair for captivating narratives and engaging storytelling. Elevate your brand with her expertise in crafting compelling and SEO-optimized content that resonates with your audience. Explore the power of words with Gurleen Kaur.