Lucknow Super Giants moved up to second place in the IPL table with an emphatic 56-run victory over Punjab Kings. Along the way, they put up the second-biggest total in the competition’s history, 257-5. Here are our takeaways from the match.
Crazy Mayers
This was crazy from Kyle Mayers. We have seen batters going berserk, but this was absolutely bizarre. Hit anything and it goes out of the park, mostly from the middle of the bat. There is something called scientific hitting, and something else called unbelievable. That’s what the Barbados native pulled off. It was insane. Whatever he tried to do came off. Quiet after a brisk start this season, he connected everything he wanted to and the bowlers were the biggest sufferers. That 24-ball 54 set the stage for something very special.
That partnership!
One must also give it to Ayush Badoni and Marcus Stoinis. It is not easy to come out and connecting from the first ball. It takes a bit of time to come out and start hitting. That’s what they did and ensured during a third-wicket partnership that took the game away from Punjab Kings, who could only watch haplessly. This was beyond words. They try, they connect and the ball goes out of the park. This was serious, mind you. How often do you witness something like this? Every ball you hit, it makes a perfect connection and goes out of the ground! This partnership was sensational.
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Real, Pooran?
Say something about Nicholas Pooran? A surprisingly costly buy for Rs 16 crore, he was lying low before and after one super innings against Royal Challengers Bangalore. A misplaced investment? Questions were starting to do the rounds. Then, the Trinidadian chose to prove his point. This was absolutely mind-boggling. The first three balls he faced were belted for fours in the cover-extra-cover region. These were critical shots and perfectly executed. One does not do that so soon after coming into bat. And this continued. He continued to hit the bowlers out of the park from different angles. This 45 off 19 was batting of the most destructive kind. And a ‘paisa vasool’ show.
Punjab pangs
Say something about the Punjab Kings? They are a good side, with a lot of intention to invest in their local players. No other IPL franchise has so many from their own backyards. But they might have plotted something wrong. You need professionals from every possible quarter to make a mark on a stage like the IPL. Banking solely on local resources is not going to do you any good. This was Punjab’s day to come to terms with this harsh reality. Loads of locals they had in their side. The result? A thumping defeat in a key game. It dents their chances of qualifying in a big way.
Luck Now? Looks like
Luck now? May be yes. The Super Giants have all bases covered and are capable of coming out guns blazing all through the innings. It was not only about individuals. They fired collectively to put up on board the second-highest total in IPL history. This was no child’s play. They knew what they had to do, how to go about it and pulled it off in spectacular fashion. We had seen teams fizzle out after gunning starts. That was not the case with them. They came to Punjab and bossed them. This is a team to watch out for. Take them very, very seriously.