Delhi Capitals Dominated Lucknow Super Giants To Grab 2nd Win Of The Season
Delhi Capitals orchestrated a remarkable comeback, clinching victory against Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2024.
Before the contest, Delhi Capitals had lost four out of the previous five games, breaking Lucknow Super Giants’ control over defenses with more than 160 players.
Delhi Capitals defeated Lucknow Super Giants 167 for 7 (Badoni 55*, Rahul 39, Kuldeep 3-20, Khaleel 2-41) by six wickets with 170 for 4 (Fraser-McGurk 55, Pant 41, Shaw 32, Bishnoi 2-25)
With a six-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants on Friday, the Delhi Capitals broke their hold on defenses scoring 160 runs or more and moved up to the top of the IPL 2024 standings. After making his IPL debut, Australia’s Jake Fraser-McGurk struck a brilliant half-century, inspiring Kuldeep Yadav to return from injury and help them reach their mark with 11 balls remaining.
LSG, who had never lost when batting first, delivered a shaky innings after electing to bat that ended over the 160-mark. With 39 off 22, KL Rahul provided them a quick start, and in just his first nine balls, Kuldeep tore apart their lineup. Following Kuldeep’s sacking of Rahul, LSG 77 was down to 5 and their situation worsened before improving.
After 13 overs, DC looked certain of a walkover with the score at 94 for 7. But Ayush Badoni’s 31-ball fifty and an unbroken stand of 73 with Arshad Khan – an IPL record for the eighth wicket – at least gave LSG’s famed spin punch something to bowl at.
After suffering four straight losses, DC may have questioned whether their opportunity had been lost. After Prithvi Shaw calmed some of the tension with a strong start to the chase, Fraser-McGurk, a 22-year-old Melbourne native, took over to give the pyrotechnics. He hit a massive six over deep midwicket for his first scoring shot, and he went on to raise his half-century from 31 balls by clearing the ropes four more times. After a stand of 77 off 46, he and Rishabh Pant left the field, but DC was already well ahead of schedule.
Fraser-McGurk’s Incredible Ascent Continues
Six months have passed since Fraser-McGurk made headlines around the world by surpassing AB de Villiers’ record for the fastest List A century, which he achieved while batting for South Australia in just 29 balls. That was, astonishingly, his first century in professional cricket, but he had a breakthrough summer that saw him earn a cap for Australia against the West Indies in their ODI series. On his debut, he smashed his third ball for four, his fourth for six, and was out on his fifth ball.
Coming in at No. 3 in Lucknow, following the ejection of David Warner by Yash Thakur, he held faithful to first principles. His second ball was whacked insouciantly off the front foot over midwicket – a shot his DC coach, Ricky Ponting, would undoubtedly have liked – and he then unleashed an even greater one over wide long-on off his fifth.
Before the LSG spinners arrived to pose a new challenge, he reached 16 off seven (with three scoring strokes) after another slash for four.
A slowing was inevitable, as his next 16 balls yielded nine runs. However, Fraser-McGurk unleashed his fury on Krunal Pandya, hitting him for three straight sixes over long-off, extra cover, and midwicket, ultimately ending the home team’s hopes, just as the game looked to be back in the balance.
Pant Joins Fraser
Being the captain, wicketkeeper, and star batsman for the Capitals throughout their difficult times has fallen especially heavily on Pant, who missed more than a year of action due to an automobile accident. Pant’s agonizing conversation with umpire Rohan Pandit during the LSG innings, following his fruitless attempt to review a wide (seeing as though he hadn’t reviewed it at all), encapsulated the state of affairs thus far.
However, Pant made a cunning move after Nicholas Pooran’s incredible diving grab in the deep to dismiss Shaw was made by Ravi Bishnoi. He started out slowly and had Fraser-McGurk worried, but on his twelfth delivery, he launched Bishnoi for a massive straight six and then smashed past the covers for four runs. Before Fraser-McGurk went all out, Marcus Stoinis added two more boundaries, one of which was an outrageous reverse-scoop to keep DC up with the pace.
By the time Fraser-McGurk negotiated his way to deep third, the requirement was less than a run a ball. Pant was stumped in the next over while charging at Bishnoi, but the heavy work was already done.
Rahul Given The Charge Early
LSG has a tried-and-true batting order template, and toward the end of the powerplay, they appeared to be playing according to plan. There was no panic in the stands despite Quinton de Kock hitting two fours in the opening over, Rahul’s third ball being thrashed over cover for a flat six, and Khaleel Ahmed removing both de Kock and Devdutt Padikkal, who extended his run of single-figure scores in an LSG shirt to five. However, things could have been different if Khaleel had held on to a sharp return catch off Stoinis’ first ball.
As LSG easily concluded the powerplay on 57 for 2, Rahul replied by hitting Khaleel back down the ground for four. Rahul then found the boundary twice more off Mukesh Kumar. Rahul’s 30 off 14 was his joint-highest six-over score for LSG, which boded poorly for DC.
Kuldeep’s Excellence
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The top wristspinner for the Capitals had been sidelined for the previous three games due to a groin issue, but he quickly caught the LSG innings by surprise. With his third ball, Stoinis gave wicket to Kuldeep, but he could not take use of his early reprieve, slicing a googly to backward point. The next delivery was even better; it was another brilliantly disguised wrong’un that tricked LSG’s top run scorer, Pooran, into losing his off stump while he was playing all over the ball.
Rahul’s forceful blow was also blunted by Kuldeep in his second over, with a review showing a slight edge behind as the LSG captain tried to cut a quicker, wide delivery. With Krunal gloving a Mukesh bouncer behind and impact sub Deepak Hooda top-edging tamely to point, LSG had collapsed to 94 for 7, looking to be in serious trouble.
Ayush And Arshad Lifts LSG
The middle order collapsed throughout the first six full overs of the LSG innings, but Badoni and Arshad gradually restored their chances. In addition to pulling off backward point and ending the drought with back-to-back fours off Mukesh, Badoni concentrated on collecting ones and twos against Kuldeep and Axar Patel’s spin.
When the pace picked up again for the eighteenth, Badoni made the decision to pull out. As expected, Khaleel was smoked for six over deep midwicket, and Arshad obliged by smashing his maiden boundary over mid-off. To make things worse for Khaleel, Shaw dropped the No. 9 off the last ball of the over. In the 19th over, Badoni swept and lofted Mukesh en route to a 31-ball fifty, while the eighth-wicket combination successfully lifted LSG past the 160-mark. But this time, the magic had abandoned them.
