Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) faced a significant setback as they succumbed to a heavy defeat against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on April 12, Friday. Reflecting on the match, LSG captain KL Rahul pointed out a crucial dropped catch by Ravi Bishnoi off Jake Fraser-McGurk as the turning point that shifted the momentum in favor of Delhi Capitals.
Expressing his frustration over the missed opportunity, Rahul acknowledged that LSG was competitive until the tenth over but conceded that the dropped catch altered the course of the game entirely. He highlighted the impressive debut of Fraser-McGurk, who played a pivotal role in DC’s successful chase with a quick fifty, supported by Rishabh Pant’s aggressive 41 runs.
“We walked in with the same kind of mindset, assess what the good areas, what pace works on this wicket and execute as well as we can. We got Warner, and a couple after the powerplay. We were in the game till the 10th over, then a drop catch and then Rishabh-McGurk took it away from us. We fought till the end. McGurk, the new guy when they come in, was very unknown. We’ve watched a lot of videos of him, but he hit the ball really well, credit to him,” KL Rahul commented as quoted by India Today.
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The match witnessed LSG’s streak of successfully defending targets of around 160 runs being broken as DC comfortably chased down their total of 167, clinching victory by six wickets. Rahul acknowledged that LSG fell short by 15-20 runs in setting a challenging target and praised Kuldeep Yadav’s disciplined bowling for restricting their score. He also hinted at potential adjustments to their batting strategies, particularly regarding Nicholas Pooran’s role in the lineup.
“We were 15-20 short, should’ve capitalized to get 180. There was a bit of help for seamers, odd-ball was keeping low and Kuldeep put the brakes on our batting group,” KL Rahul remarked.
“In hindsight, can wonder if we could’ve done something differently [with Pooran’s batting position]. Not much spin for Axar, so I thought Nicky P (Nicholas Pooran) with the shots he has, can put the opposition under pressure. We knew they had to bowl their spinners in that phase,” he added.
KL Rahul also provided an update on Mayank Yadav’s injury, assuring fans of his steady recovery while emphasizing caution to avoid rushing his return and risking further harm.
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“Mayank is not too bad, he looks good, feeling good but we also want to make sure we don’t rush him back in too early. He’s young, we need to protect his body. He’s itching to go, we just have to pull him back a little, maybe a couple of more games, before he comes back,” KL Rahul assured.
DC’s triumph propelled them to the ninth spot in the points table and marked their first victory over LSG after three consecutive defeats in previous encounters. As LSG reflects on this defeat, they aim to regroup, strategize effectively, and bounce back stronger in the upcoming matches of the IPL 2024 season.
