Bengaluru: Quinton de Kock manifested his exceptional hitting skills with a fifty but Lucknow Super Giants could not progress beyond a par 181 for five against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL match here Tuesday.
De Kock (81 off 55) selected the bowlers and positions around the ground to play his shots with precision but the RCB bowlers did not allow other batsmen, except Nicholas Pooran (40 off 21), a free run on a pitch that sported a generous tinge of green.
The Super Giants went off the block quite quickly, reaching 32 for no loss in three overs and then making it 54 in the Power Play.
Most of the runs came from the blade of De Kock, who took a particular liking for pacer Mohammed Siraj.
The South African left-hander slammed him for three sixes – two in succession – spread across two overs – two powerful pulls and a handsome loft over mid-wicket.
KL Rahul, who captained the side after coming in as an impact sub against Punjab Kings in the previous game, started slowly making six runs off his first 10 balls.
But a six off left-arm pacer Yash Dayal, a well-timed hit straight over the head of the bowler, gave his innings some momentum and later he swept spinner Glenn Maxwell for a six, and he was a tad fortunate because Rajat Patidar could not time his jump well near the rope and collect the ball.
However, Rahul perished in the very next ball, an attempt to pull Maxwell’s good length delivery ending up in the palms of Mayank Dagar inside the circle.
Devdutt Padikkal struggled massively during his 11-ball six, and he was eventually rid of his agony by Siraj after the left-hander’s pull was snaffled by stumper Anuj Rawat, who ran a few yards backwards to catch the ball.
The second substantial innings in LSG innings followed Padikkal’s exit as De Kock and Marcus Stoinis (24, 15b) added 56 runs off 30 balls for the third wicket.
De Kock, who brought his fifty in 36 balls, kept his end going during this alliance as Stoinis hammered a six each off Maxwell and Cameron Green.
But the blooming partnership ended when Stoinis’ half-hearted swat was pouched by Dagar at point.
The LSG were143 for four in 16.3 overs at that stage and needed a few more runs to reach safer shores.
Pooran, who biffed left-armer seamer Topley for three sixes in a row in the 19th over and two more maximums in the final over off Siraj, made the final assault but LSG might have liked a heftier total.
PTI
