Chasing a target at Ekana Stadium, Lucknow, under the lights was never easy until Rishabh Pant and his boys showed how to do it. On Friday night, the Delhi Capitals (DC) became the first team ever to successfully chase a total of more than 160 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). DC defeated LSG by 6 wickets to register their second win this season, jumping up to the 9th spot on the points table.
DC beat LSG by 6 wickets
DC showcased what is required to beat LSG on their own turf. The track turned slower, not much on offer for the pacers and that’s what the visitors capitalized on. Chasing 168, debutant Jake Fraser-McGurk and Pant struck a 77-run partnership to take the match away from the hosts. The uncapped Australian batter announced himself with a belligerent half-century on his IPL debut after spinner Kuldeep Yadav dazzled with the ball, picking up 3-wicket on his return.
Had Ravi Bishnoi not dropped Fraser-McGurk in the 8th over off Marcus Stoinis’ bowling, LSG could have maintained their winning spree in the tournament. But the Aussie batter made the most of the second chance he got and took the game away from the hosts. Lucknow captain KL Rahul highlighted that big miss, lauding the DC debutant for his fearless approach.
“He (Jake Fraser-McGurk) hit the ball well, credit to him. We always walk in with the same mindset, and want to hit the right areas. We got Warner in the powerplay and got a couple of wickets after the powerplay. The set batters – Pant and McGurk took the game away from us after that dropped catch,” Rahul told the broadcasters after the 7-wicket defeat.
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The LSG captain also heaped praise on Kuldeep, who snared three wickets which included the prized scalp of Nicholas Pooran. The DC leggie bamboozled the in-form Pooran, who looked clueless as the ball uprooted the off stump.
“In hindsight, you can always wonder if you could have done something different. There wasn’t much spin after Axar’s over, so I thought Pooran could have put some pressure on the opposition if he was set. He would have been dangerous, but credit to Kuldeep for getting him out,” Rahul added.
‘Need to protect Mayank Yadav’s body’
Young pace sensation Mayank Yadav was benched on Friday as the youngster suffered a hip injury in LSG’s previous encounter against Gujarat Titans. Rahul said the Delhi pacer is doing fine but the team management wouldn’t rush him at this stage.
“He (Mayank Yadav) is feeling good, he looks good, but we don’t want to rush him. We need to protect his body, he’s itching to go. Need to make sure that he’s hundred percent (fit) before he comes back,” Rahul concluded.
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