Match Center

Right then, that is all we have from a high-scoring encounter here in Mohali. On Saturday, 29th of April, we have a double dose of action coming your way. First up, it will be Kolkata taking on Gujarat at Eden Gardens and that game will start at 3.30 pm IST (10 am GMT). The second game will be between Delhi and Hyderabad, starting at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT). Do join us for the build-up of both games. Cheers!

Marcus Stoinis is the Player of the Match for scoring 74 of 40 deliveries and chipping in with a wicket. He says that his finger is alright and they will get the scans later. Mentions that they were joking about how this wicket is compared to the wicket at home and wanted to capitalize on a good batting track. Admits that when he was batting with Ayush they never thought they will reach 250 but they played their shots freely and mentions that he is a very talented player. Informs that it is more about the circumstances and batting up the order allows him to see more balls but he also enjoys the responsibility of playing lower down the order and finishing games off. Adds that his trait is to shuffle through the batting order. Ends by saying that he was swinging a few balls in the nets and the bowling coach decided to try him up top but says that the home wickets suit him better where he can take the pace off.

KL Rahul, the skipper of Lucknow says that their 10 wins batting first out of 12 is against the T20 trend and adds that he can’t figure out one reason for it but he is very happy with it. Tells that every game in the second half becomes important and they wanted to do well in this game and adds that the break after the last game helped them and they were always clear about how they wanted to bat. Applauds his team’s batting and says that getting to 250 speaks highly of how they batted. States that familiarity with the conditions help but cricket is a game where things can change and one cannot be sure about the pitch. Says that the first 2-3 overs set the tone for them and credits Mayers for it. Tells that they pre-planned a bit and they had their plans. Mentions that they have power-hitters and they just try to use players according to the situation of the game and informs that the think-tank does most of the planning and he tries to understand what they are thinking!

Time for the Presentation now...

Nicholas Pooran is down for a quick chat. He says that he is very happy with the performance of the bowlers and is more happy about getting two important points. Adds that they knew that there is one shorter side on this ground and once they had controlled the powerplay, they tried to make batters hit on the bigger side of the ground. Mentions that he has not been successful in taking reviews in recent times and that’s why let one pass in this game. Informs that he tries not to do much wicketkeeping practice and adds that it is all about catching the ball with soft hands and keeping it simple. Signs off by saying that he will take 40-odd runs any day and that it is good to contribute to a team cause.

Shikhar Dhawan, the skipper of Punjab says that they gave away too many runs and paid the price for it. Admits that he could not contribute and explains that the ball did not come quickly enough so it went straight to the fielder. Adds that they were chasing a big score so he had to get going straight away. Claims that his strategy didn’t work and they played with a spinner less but it is a learning curve for him and he will look to come back stronger. Ends by saying that the Impact Player rule has been good but sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

Time for some interviews.

Punjab have a quality bowling attack but they were way below par in this game. The bowlers of the class of Rabada, Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran bowled way too many loose deliveries and extras and Lucknow made them pay heavily. Rahul Chahar was the only one who bowled well and with the bat, it was Atharva Taide who impressed with his classy strokeplay. After losing two early wickets, the young batter from Vidarbha batted with intensity and scored 66 off 36 balls while other middle-order batters too played brisk knocks but the target of 258 was way too much for them in the end.

As mentioned before, the win for Lucknow was set up by their batters. Mayers started off the carnage and almost everyone who followed kept going as they went on to get the second-highest total in the history of the Indian T20 League. Lucknow were always favourites to win the game from thereon and KL Rahul went on to use 9 bowlers which shows the nature of the pitch here in Mohali and the kind of resources Lucknow have at their disposal. What helped Lucknow further is that they got Shikhar Dhawan in the first over and had wickets in the Powerplay with Punjab always behind the 8-ball. Bishnoi bowled brilliantly in the middle overs to pick up two wickets. Naveen-ul-Haq and Yash Thakur then executed their plans in the death and picked 7 wickets between them to seal a big win for Lucknow.

Lucknow have notched up an impressive win here! Punjab batters tried hard but when you have been handed a target of over 250 runs in a T20 game, then we all know who needs to take the blame here. Lucknow batters set up this win and their bowlers just needed to do the basics right which they eventually did. Lucknow, now move to the second spot with this comprehensive win.

OUT! CAUGHT! Yash Thakur has a four-fer and a comprehensive win for the visitors! Yash Thakur bowls this really full and into the pads. Shahrukh Khan goes for the flick into the leg side but hits it straight down the throat of the deep square leg fielder. Ravi Bishnoi keeps his concentration and holds onto the catch as Lucknow have bowled their opponents out here. The visitors have managed to exact revenge for their loss at home and will not look to build on this win. Lucknow win by 56 runs!

Bangs this in short and going down leg. Shahrukh Khan misses his pull and the ball goes through to the keeper.

Nails the yorker on a leg stump line. Shahrukh Khan clips this towards deep square leg for a run. Some sloppiness from Lucknow allows the batters to take a second. Brings up the 200 for Punjab but there are still nowhere near the target

Short and going down leg. Shahrukh Khan pulls this towards fine leg and they do not take a single.

Yash Thakur bowls this really full and at the stumps. Shahrukh Khan digs this out back towards the bowler.

A fullish delivery on middle. Arshdeep Singh slogs it wide of long on for a couple.

Another slower ball bowled slightly short and in line with the stumps. Arshdeep Singh looks to tuck this away but misses and the ball goes just over the stumps.