With RajatPatidar laying the foundation for the Royal Challengers Bangalore a huge number in the Eliminator, the highlight was Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul to make an important game at Eden Gardens on Wednesday. Chasing 208 to win, Lucknow lost to Quinton de Kock in the first over of their response, and Rahul scored 79. The Indian batsman hit three fours and five maximums before falling to Josh Hazlewood in the first over, which Lucknow still needed. 28 runs to advance to the second qualifying round.
Rahul tried to rob Hazlewood but was cleverly taken by Shahbaz Ahmed with a fine little leg, while Lucknow finished 193-6 to exit the 10-team tournament. While hitting high scores on his side, Rahul was unable to speed up his innings. He finished with 79 deliveries out of 58 with a strike rate of 136.21.
Pundits and fans are skeptical of Rahul’s strikeout strategy, which has included more than 550 runs across the IPL system since 2018. But former Indian producer Harbhajan Singh said the Karnataka boy still had the ability to hit six and even rated him over the West. Indian all-rounder Kieron Pollard. Harbhajan went on to point out Lucknow’s early scoring goals that eventually made a difference.
“KL Rahul usually plays the role of anchoch. His ability to hit six is ​​almost over someone like Kieron Pollard. But Lucknow played less in the first six overs. If they had gained momentum, Lucknow would have had a few runs to score. -overs a few’s past. Yes, Harshal and Hazlewood threw well but Lucknow overcame by not hitting too many runs in powerplay. In the end, that decided the outcome of the match, “Harbhajan told Sportskeeda.
Rahul himself admitted that the “two big hats” would probably have done a job for Lucknow, who was chasing a huge amount. He managed to accumulate one goal in seven overs after powerplay.”Yeah, I think now, looking back, yes, it was just two big times in the middle overs and that would have put us above the line,” Rahul told a post-match press conference Wednesday.
“We won a few games but overall we didn’t do well in the race. It’s something we have to learn,” he said. “For me, I think this season is like any other season, it has been a great learning experience.Rahul, who has signed for 616 runs in 15 games this season, has admitted that his numbers while chasing are unsatisfactory. His 79 on the eliminator was the highest and only fifty when he hit second.”I’ve been paying attention to the numbers this season too. Yes this season, I haven’t scored many goals in the second half,” he admitted.“But it was a great game and when you get to the big game, you forget about your form, your running in the last 14 games.
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