Done and dusted: A relieved and animated Avesh Khan slammed his helmet on the ground as a fumble by wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik allowed him and non-striker Ravi Bishnoi to sneak a bye off the last ball and script a thrilling one-wicket win.
A game of fine margins: With one run needed off the last ball with one wicket in hand, Harshal Patel had the presence of mind to attempt a run out at the non-striker’s end while running in to bowl but failed to dislodge the bails. He then had a go at the stumps a second time but the on-field umpire deemed the throw invalid.
Ouch: Ayush Badoni scooped a six over the fine-leg boundary but ended up hitting the stumps with his bat in the follow-through to become the 15th batter in the history of the IPL to be dismissed hit wicket. Badoni departed for a 24-ball 30, leaving Lucknow seven to get off nine balls.
Fastest fifty: Nicholas Pooran played like a man possessed, blasting everything in sight, to score this season’s fastest half-century, off just 15 balls. Coming in after the dismissal of Marcus Stoinis, who fell for a cracking 30-ball 64, Pooran ensured Lucknow’s chase didn’t lose momentum and put his team within touching distance of the target.
Sound of timber: Lucknow Super Giants was dealt a body blow when the in-form Kyle Mayers had his stumps disturbed by Mohammed Siraj off the third ball of the innings. Lucknow was soon reeling at 23 for three with Wayne Parnell picking up a couple of wickets.
Maximising: Glenn Maxwell gave RCB’s innings much-needed momentum as he imparted the finishing touches with a blistering 29-ball 59 which helped the host to 212 for two. His 115-run partnership off 50 balls with skipper Faf du Plessis compensated for the slump in the scoring rate during the middle overs.
On the brink of another record: Virat Kohli struck a 35-ball half-century and equalled the record for the most fifty-plus scores at a single venue in T20s. This was Kohli’s 24th score of 50 or more at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium as he drew level with Alex Hales, who has 24 scores in excess of 50 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
Pulling away: Virat Kohli was off to a streaky start as his first boundary came off a top edge off Avesh Khan in the second over. However, he played an imperious shot off the next ball, slapping a four over extra-cover.
Sizzling start: Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli opened the innings for Royal Challengers Bangalore. The duo has had a knack of getting off the blocks in a flash in the PowerPlay this season. Against Mumbai Indians, they got 53 runs in the first six overs and shared a 44-run stand in 4.5 overs against KKR. On Monday, they got 56 runs in the PowerPlay, with Kohli scoring 42 of them.
Strange homecoming: Faf Du Plessis of Royal Challengers Bangalore and KL Rahul of Lucknow Super Giants at the toss. Rahul expectedly elected to field at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium - his home ground. “We will bowl first, going by the history of the ground. Quite simple and straightforward. It is still home. I have grown up here and played all my cricket,” he said.
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