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Mid-match summary: Patidar's effort tilts the scales in RCB's favour
Kolkata: Young Rajat Patidar stole the thunder from big guns of their batting line-up to rake up a dashing century (112 off 54 balls with 12 fours & seven sixes ) and take Royal Challengers to a potentially match-winning total of 207 for four wickets against Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator at the Eden Gardens.
It was Patidar’s day all the day from the moment he joined Virat Kohli after their skipper Faf du Plessis was caught behind in the first over off Mohsin Khan. Kohli let him play the aggressor as the duo stitched together a 66-run partnership for the second wicket.
One expected Kohli to get a big one, especially since he has ready to play the second fiddle to Patidar in the initial stages. It did not really matter if the former Indian captain was just going at a strike-rate of 104-plus, but he went for a glory shot – an upper cut to a bouncer outside the off stump from Avesh Khan which flew into the hand of Mohsin Khan at a slightly wide third man.
It was a rather slipshod performance on the field by Lucknow bowlers as well as the fielders in the deep on a wicket which offered little margin of error. Dinesh Karthik, meanwhile, celebrated his call-up to the Indian team with a characteristic 37 off 23 balls for a 92-run stand off 41 balls to drive the last nail in Lucknow’s coffin.
Can Lucknow get there? They will need the kind of start that KL Rahul & Quinton de Kock featured in against KKR, but it won’t be easy with the pressure of a knockout game weighing heavy on them.
Close call for DK
Bishnoi, who got rid of Lomror, came close to getting the dangerman DK. A goodly which pitched on mid-leg struck the veteran at the crease and was initially ruled not out as it seemed to be going down leg side. A DRS showed it was close shave as it was ruled an umpires' call. Question is, will DK make LSG pay for this?
Kohli, Maxwell fall quickly
Kohli, Maxwell fall in quick succession to glory shots instead of trying to prosper on a belter of a wicket. Krunal Pandya lands 'Maxi' and after 11 overs, RCB are 90 for three. Lomror joins Patidar and the duo should look to bat deep here.
Perfect batting conditions
Rahul is rotating his bowlers but none has been able to create any problems for Kohli, Patidar in what look like perfect batting conditions. Bishnoi, his main spinner, goes for 9 runs in his first over. Did Lucknow miss a trick by not batting first?
Patidar impressive
Young Patidar attacks an erring Avesh Khan in his first over - first thrashing him over point and then mid wicket for back-to-back fours. Krunal Pandya, who bowled the fourth over, could hardly get any spin and RCB end Powerplay on an impressive note.
Big blow for RCB
Left-arm seamer Mohsin strikes it rich in an eventful first over. He uses the natural angle and Faf, not in best of form, pushes at it to be caught behind off the first ball he faced. Just the start Lucknow needed.
A look at playing XIs
Royal Challengers Bangalore XI: F du Plessis (c), V Kohli, R Patidar, G Maxwell, M Lomror, S Ahmed, D Karthik (wk), W Hasaranga, H Patel, J Hazlewood, M Siraj.
Lucknow Super Giants XI: KL Rahul (c), Q de Kock (wk), M Vohra, D Hooda, M Stoinis, K Pandya, Evin Lewis, D Chameera, R Bishnoi, M Khan, A Khan.
All that you need to know...
Lucknow opt to bowl
Lucknow captain K.L.Rahul wins the toss and opt to bowl and it will be a full 20 overs each contest. It looks a good idea to let his battery of Indian seamers, especially the left-arm seamer Mohsin Khan, have a go at Kohli & Faf as the ball may do a bit in the initial overs. Play to begin in 10 minutes, so brace up.
Covers come off
The slight drizzle has ended and the covers are being taken off. It's unlikely that any overs will be deducted for as per the playing conditions, play can even start as late as 9.40 pm and still 20 overs each can be played. Just FYI, if there is no play at all, the positions in the final league table will be considered as Lucknow, who finished ahead of Bangalore at number three, will go through. Who wants that though?
Toss delayed
Welcome to the Eliminator at the Eden Gardens. The rival captains had come out for the toss when a storm brewed and everyone walked back inside the B.C.Roy Clubhouse. A light drizzle started and the ground staff has rushed in to put the covers. Hope it blows over soon...
Kolkata: Less than 24 hours after David Miller’s brutal assault helped Gujarat Titans make the IPL 2022 final, the stage is now set for Royal Challengers Banglore to take on debutants Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator at the Eden Gardens this evening.
Despite it being a high stake game where the losing side will suffer the heartbreak of exiting the tournament after all the hard work, the USP of the contest will be Virat Kohli’s return to the venue after the T20 International series against the West Indies few months back. The show stopper, who seemed to have gained his touch back in the last game with a busy innings of 73, was away from the prying eyes on Tuesday – as RCB was allotted a practice ground on the fringes of the city with no media access - primarily due to logistical reasons.
While his form will be crucial to RCB, who was the last team to squeeze into the play-offs, Faf du Plessis’ men has developed a healthy habit of finding their way home even without his contributions. They did exceedingly well to shrug off a sudden lean patch to bounce back and win three games on the trot – something which both the captain and technical director Mike Hesson attributes to their new-found 'calmness.'
RCB appear to have the edge thanks to their allround abilities and experience of several players appearing in the knockout stages, but LSG will do well to take a leaf out of Gujarat’s book. A lot of their batting may revolve around the form of skipper K.L.Rahul and Quinton de Kock, but self-belief and sticking to a gameplan can surmount the biggest of challenges as Hardik Pandya’s men have shown.
Over then to the Eden Gardens…