Cricket
Follow highlights from match 44 of TATA IPL 2024 between LSG and RR here.
Updated : Apr 27, 2024, 11:18 PM IST
KL Rahul's Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will face off against Sanju Samson's Rajasthan Royals in match number 44 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday.
This match will not only be a battle between the two teams but also between the two captains. As the T20 World Cup selection draws near, both KL Rahul and Sanju Samson will be eager to perform well and secure their spots in the final fifteen players who will represent India in the US and the Caribbean.
The former champions RR have shown impressive form this season, winning seven out of eight games. They will prove to be a formidable opponent for LSG. However, LSG has also displayed strong performances and currently sits in fourth place with five wins out of eight games.
Yash Thakur delivers two consecutive singles in as many balls. On the fifth ball, Samson expertly strikes the ball towards midwicket, resulting in a boundary. Samson concludes the match in a stylish manner by hitting a full toss over fine leg for another impressive boundary.
LSG 196/5 (20)
RR 199/3 (19)
Ravi Bishnoi is now bowling. A boundary! Samson aggressively hits the ball towards the leg side. A full toss delivery allows Samson to effortlessly send the ball over cover for four runs. And a maximum! Samson confidently pulls the ball over midwicket, concluding the over with a six.
A well-executed short ball prompts Jurel to cut towards deep point, resulting in a boundary. This is followed by an impressive ramp shot over the keeper for a six, showcasing Jurel's exceptional batting skills. Another boundary is scored as Jurel pulls towards backward square leg. However, there is a missed opportunity as Jurel slashes towards short third and the fielder fails to make the catch.
Yash bowls his second over. A boundary! Jurel executes a lofted cover drive for four runs. A full toss from Yash allows Samson to smack the ball straight down the ground for another boundary. The over concludes with another four from Samson, this time towards extra cover.
Mishra continues. A powerful SIX is scored as Jurel confidently charges down the track and sends the ball soaring over long on. Following this impressive shot, a well-placed FOUR is executed by Samson, directing the ball down the leg and skillfully hitting it fine of short fine leg.
Henry continues to bowl as Buttler smashes the ball over mid-on for a boundary! The batters manage to sneak in three runs as the ball is pushed towards the covers. Jaiswal attempts a big shot but fails to connect. However, Buttler follows up with another boundary by pulling the ball towards square leg.
Jaiswal opens the scoring with a single off the first ball. Even Rahul struggles to field the ball cleanly, allowing the batters to take a quick run. A magnificent SIX follows as Jaiswal smashes the ball over long on. He then adds a boundary with a well-placed four.
Sandeep Sharma delivered a bouncer which was hit by Pandya over short fine leg for a boundary. The following ball resulted in a double, followed by another double. A well-placed shot through long on took advantage of a misfield, allowing for a single on the fourth ball. Another single was taken on the fifth ball, and only a double was scored on the last ball.
Chahal is hit towards the point for a four on the first ball by Hooda, resulting in eight runs in the first four balls. Hooda reaches his fifty in just 30 balls. Following suit, Rahul delivers a powerful shot straight past Chahal, securing a boundary.
Avesh continues. Rahul effortlessly clears the midwicket boundary for another six. Despite a waist-height no ball, Rahul expertly hits it over fine leg for a four on the free hit. He then smashes the ball towards midwicket, finding the gap with precision.
Trent Boult opened the bowling with the new ball as Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul took to the crease to begin the innings.
The first delivery saw a beautiful away swing that caught de Kock off guard, resulting in a thick outside edge that flew over second slip for a boundary. The next ball also found the boundary ropes, adding to de Kock's early tally. However, the third delivery proved to be the downfall of de Kock as Boult's precision bowling saw the off stump being sent cartwheeling.
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal
Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul(w/c), Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Matt Henry, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur
Sanju Samson: We will bowl first. Looks like a decent wicket to bowl, but no guarantees. This season has been a bit different, some extra days in between games, that gives us time to rest and recover. We're playing the same team. IPL has been completely different, it's normal to get carried away looking at other teams, but the talk in our camp is to stay with the flow, we have been playing some good cricket and we need to continue doing so. I don't need to talk to him, he's been a top professional and has a big role in our plans (on Ravi Ashwin)
KL Rahul: The wicket is good, there's not much dew in Lucknow and the wicket will play well for the entire 40 overs. We'll need to play some good cricket. It's nice to get past 200, every team would like to do so, but the dimensions of this ground favours the bowlers a bit more and we've enjoyed it. No changes for us. Every player goes through a bit of time like that when you can't get runs ( asked about Padikkal's form). He looks good in the nets and he'll have to stay positive, you saw last night when Jonny came back after getting dropped and then getting a hundred.
LSG: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal/Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Matt Henry/Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur
RR: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal
Ashwin has been costly and unable to take any wickets in the last six matches. However, all of that will be forgiven if he can outperform Stoinis and Pooran. Stoinis has had difficulty facing Ashwin in the IPL, only scoring 23 runs off 27 balls and being dismissed once. Pooran has also struggled, with 25 runs off the same number of balls and a dismissal. Chahal may also be a good option against Stoinis, as he has been dismissed five times by spinners this season.
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal, Keshav Maharaj, Shubham Dubey, Navdeep Saini, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Kuldeep Sen, Nandre Burger, Tanush Kotian, Donovan Ferreira, Abid Mushtaq, Kunal Singh Rathore
Lucknow Super Giants: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul(w/c), Marcus Stoinis, Devdutt Padikkal, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Matt Henry, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur, Arshin Kulkarni, Krishnappa Gowtham, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Manimaran Siddharth, Arshad Khan, Prerak Mankad, Amit Mishra, Kyle Mayers, Shamar Joseph, Ashton Turner, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mayank Yadav