The Lucknow Super Giants opened their account in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League with a win over Punjab Kings on Saturday, March 30, 2024.
The Super Giants, playing their first home game of the season, saw some stellar performances from their batters as well as their bowlers.
While the batters set up the win, some stellar fightback from the bowling unit saw the Lucknow side collect their first two points in front of their home fans.
While Quinton de Kock led the way with a solid half-century, Punjab Kings Skipper Shikhar Dhawan too enjoyed a strong outing with the bat, though in vain.
Some of the best knocks of the Lucknow Super Giants versus Punjab Kings match at the Ekana sports city stadium:.
Quinton de Kock
After getting his tournament off to a shaky start falling for just 4 off 5 in Lucknow's opening game of the season against the Rajasthan Royals, de Kock bounced back with a top knock in their second match of the season.
Top-scoring for the hosts, Quinny hammered his 21st half-century in the IPL to set up Lucknow for a match-winning total.
Opening the innings alongside K L Rahul, who was playing the match as an Impact Player, de Kock got off to a quick start.
Quinny, who retired from the ODI format after last year's 50-over World Cup, began his innings with a boundary off Sam Curran in the first over with a gorgeous drive past mid-off.
De Kock then took the attack to Kagiso Rabada.
In the Proteas versus Proteas battle, de Kock had the upper hand as he hammered Rabada for a boundary and a maximum to hand Lucknow a strong start.
De Kock and Rahul got the innings off to a strong start, adding 35 off 23 for the opening stand. Though LSG lost a couple of quick wickets in the middle, the opener stood tall as he hammered the ball around the park.
De Kock's stand with Nicholas Pooran frustrated the Punjab bowlers as the pair added 47 off just 27, before Arshdeep Singh removed the opener.
De Kock top scored for LSG with a 38-ball 54. Scoring at a rate of 142.10, his innings was peppered with five boundaries and two maximums.
Nicholas Pooran
Donning the captain's hat for the Lucknow side in their first home match of the season, Pooran put up another stellar T20 knock, scoring at a quickfire rate of 200.
Coming in to bat at No. 5 with the home side losing a flurry of wickets in the middle, Pooran stabilised the innings with a solid knock.
He paired up with De Kock to post a solid 47 off 27 for the fourth wicket -- LSG's highest partnership against the visiting Punjab Kings.
Pooran came into bat in the 9th over after LSG lost Marcus Stoinis. The left-handed batter got off to a quiet start, scoring just five off 7. But he picked Rahul Chahar to break free in the 12th over as he shifted gears. Pooran took Chahar to the cleaners scoring six, four, six to press his foot on the peddle.
Pooran found the boundary ropes against Arshdeep Singh and Harpreet Brar as he built the pressure on LSG bowlers.
But Rabada came to Punjab's rescue denying Pooran a half-century.
With Pooran cruising at 42 off just 20, Rabada bowled the Windies batter, ending his dangerous innings. Pooran walked off for 42 off 21. An innings peppered with three boundaries and three maximums.
Krunal Pandya
With LSG reduced to 146/5 in 15.1 overs, Pandya, walking in at No. 7 played an important knock to take the hosts to a strong total.
Krunal once again proved he can mould into the any position he has been asked to as injected the final flourish to Lucknow's innings.
After getting off the mark with two quick runs, Krunal found the boundary ropes early, dispatching Rabada the next over. The all-rounder didn't take his foot off the peddle as he hammered Harshal Patel for two boundaries and a maximum to hammer 20 in the 18th over.
Hammering Harshal once again for a boundary in the 20th over, Krunal took LSG's score to 199/8.
While he has proven his worth at the No. 4 slot, Saturday's knock proved Krunal can deliver at any slot and his flexibility and his skill to manipulate the bowlers makes him a player to be way off.
Scoring at a rate of 195.45, his unbeaten 43 off 22 was peppered with four boundaries and two maximums.
Shikhar Dhawan
The Punjab skipper struck the highest score of the match, but failed to take his team over the line.
Needing 200 to win, Dhawan, alongside Jonny Bairstow, handed the visitors a flying start.
Taking five deliveries to get started, Dhawan began his knock with a lovely drive through cover which saw the opener get off the mark with a boundary off Manimaran Siddharth.
Dhawan took the assault to the debutant as he hammered Siddharth for two consecutive boundaries and a six in his next over.
Dhawan then took the attack to Mohsin Khan hammering him for two boundaries and a maximum.
With Dhawan in the centre, a victory was well within Punjab's reach. But Mohsin came to LSG's rescue as he failed to close out the game.
Scoring at a rate of 140, Dhawan's 50-ball 70 was peppered with seven boundaries and three sixes.
Jonny Bairstow
After getting off the mark with a single, Bairstow hammered Naveen-ul-Haq for back-to-back boundaries to join the party.
Scoring in tandem with Dhawan, Bairstow scored a rate of 144.82, hammering three boundaries and three maximums.
The England batter and Dhawan scored the highest partnership of the match. The openers added 102 off 70.
Bairstow looked set for another cracking half-century before Lucknow's sensational debutant Mayank Yadav made Bairstow his first victim.
Bairstow fell for a 29-ball 42.
LSG Vs PBKS: Who Played The Best Knock?
