Today was a clinical performance from the Lucknow Super Giants. They quickly brushed aside their previous embarrassing loss against Gujarat as they put on a batting masterclass against the Punjab Kings. They scored a mammoth 257 runs, the second-best in the history of the IPL. KL was a happy captain as they won the game by a margin of 56 runs with a massive boost in their net run rate.
KL Rahul speaks at the post-match presentation
At the post-match presentation, KL Rahul talked about how the team was hurt after their loss against Gujarat.
“The last game was a bit of a downer and did hurt a lot of us as a team but we had three or four days break after that which was good. Everyone got their minds off cricket and just rested.”
He further said that it is a pleasing sight to play on such pitches after challenging pitches in Lucknow.
“Obviously when we play back home, the wickets are different and challenging and when you come to play on wickets like this, you get excited as a batter. Getting 250 or 260 speaks very highly of our batting.”
KL Rahul talked about his three power hitters in ‘Kyle Mayers’, ‘Marcus Stoinis’ and ‘Nicholas Pooran’. He said that the start given by Mayers in the first 2-3 overs set the tone for the other batters.
KL said that they try to play around these power hitters and adjust the batting lineup according to the situation.
“Those first two or three overs, Kyle put pressure on their bowling and that set the tone for us and we took it from there. We spend a lot of time thinking about what tactics we can use. We have three power hitters in Kyle, Pooran, and Stoinis, and then guys who can bat around them. We just try to use players in situations and see how we can get the best out of them.”
Punjab scored 201 runs but they weren’t enough to get anywhere close to Lucknow’s target. Punjab bowled poorly and paid the price. This IPL game had the highest aggregate scoring total in league history thanks to both teams passing the 200-point mark.
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