At midway during the match, Punjab Kings appeared to be on course for victory with Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow leading the charge. However, it was the debutant Mayank Yadav who shifted the momentum back in favor of the hosts with his sheer pace.
A batting masterclass by Quinton de Kock:
Quinton de Kock, known for his explosive batting abilities as an opener, lived up to the expectations even after the Giants lost a few wickets from the other end. LSG might not have gotten the most perfect start, but de Kock kept the tempo of the game, smashing it to all corners. He would have liked to push further after getting in with Nicholas Pooran, but unfortunately, it almost seemed like the hosts cut their wings by calling in for the strategic time out at the wrong time, resulting in de Kock’s dismissal.
Krunal’s fiery knock:
After the loss of Nicholas Pooran’s wicket, the hope to reach close to 200 seemed grim. Krunal Pandya, however, came to the rescue just when his team needed him the most. Playing a tactical innings, he managed to get the Giants ahead in the game with some clean shots over the boundary fence. What would have worked out better for Lucknow would have been Nicholas Pooran staying at the crease in the final overs, which would have propelled them to a total well above 200. With not much depth in the batting post the Krunal-Badoni pair, the best effort was to reach a total of 199, with 43 coming off Krunal’s bat.
Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow roar back in form:
IPL legend Shikhar Dhawan seemed to turn back time with the start he gave the Punjab Kings. When you are chasing down a total of 200, the start becomes all the more important. He got his eye in the first over, just having a look at M Siddharth, before unleashing an assault on the Giants. At the end of the powerplay, Lucknow found themselves ahead of the game, courtesy of Dhawan striking the ball quite brilliantly. Dhawan’s form would be crucial for the Punjab Kings’ success in the upcoming fixtures. His opening partner Jonny Bairstow had a good outing as well, supporting Dhawan in the chase. Bairstow stuck to his original game of playing attacking cricket and looked to hit the ball as hard as possible, which worked in his favor for his 42 runs.
The raw pace of Mayank Yadav impresses many:
Not many may have heard of Mayank Yadav before tonight, but after his impressive display of fast bowling, that’s about to change. Yadav caught everyone’s attention with his ability to generate pace effortlessly. His fastest delivery of the game, clocking in at 155.8 kph, caught many by surprise. Despite playing his debut match, Yadav showed remarkable composure, sticking to the basics. Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, and Jitesh Sharma fell victim to Yadav’s genuine pace, with the bowler rushing them into making mistakes. Yadav single-handedly brought the Giants back in the game just when the Kings seemed to be running away with it. Following those important wickets, the momentum swung from the Kings to the Giants. It was then that Mohsin Khan joined the party, claiming a couple of wickets himself. His tight bowling choked Punjab, effectively sidelining them from the contest. While Yadav undoubtedly has a long journey ahead, his debut IPL performance has certainly set a promising tone for his future in cricket.
For more sports content: https://revsportz.in/