By Atreyo Mukhopadhyay
Delhi (and Khaleel) drop the ball
You do not drop catches like that. Come on, Khaleel Ahmed, what was that? Easiest of dollies. And what did that amount to? An enormous total for Lucknow Super Giants. Kyle Mayers was on 14 when that sitter was grounded, and he then went on to play a blinder, a 38-ball 73. A left-handed bat smashing bowlers out of the ground is a pretty sight, but today he had a huge stroke of luck. If you drop such catches, you lose matches. It was no different today.
Good Wood
Mark Wood was bought for his pace. He would hit the wood, as in the stumps. That’s what he did. Got to the stumps he did, with those searing inswingers. It was a bit unnerving for LSG when DC started the chase brilliantly, taking 40 from the first four overs. But Wood came, saw and changed the game. This was raw pace, accurate and on the money. Hit the stumps. Top of the off stump. After that good start, Wood completely uprooted Delhi. It was game, set and match.
Big batting effort
A total above 190 always asks massive questions of the chasing side. Credit the men from the Caribbean for that. Mayers first and Pooran next, they made it possible. Hitting over cow corner, Pooran packed a lot of power in those shots. Sometimes down past the point region as well. You hit them well, and then only you get maximum returns. The way they hit the ball, with so much power, meant that the match was over in the first half itself.
Bishnoi’s composure the perfect foil
When Rilee Rossouw smashed Ravi Bishnoi for two fours and a six in the tenth over, it gave Delhi some hope of getting back into the contest. At that point, Bishnoi had figures of 0-22 from two overs. Had KL Rahul banished him to the outfield for the rest of the innings and explored other options, there would have been few raised eyebrows. Instead, Rahul persisted with his leggie, and was rewarded with two more overs that cost just 9 runs. Rossouw was caught behind off the back of the bat, and Rovman Powell struck bang in front by a googly. Wood may have made the initial breakthroughs, but it was Bishnoi not getting flustered that ended the contest.
Who makes way when de Kock returns?
Such has been the impact Quinton de Kock has had in the IPL down the years that it’s safe to say that he will be on the teamsheet for Lucknow once he travels to India after finishing the South Africa-Netherlands series. In his absence, Mayers made a compelling case to stay in the XI. Having spent so much money on Nicholas Pooran at the auction, it would be shocking if they benched him. As for not playing Wood, forget that. It could well come down to choosing between Mayers and Marcus Stoinis, who wasn’t needed with the ball on Saturday.