At 23-3 after four overs, with the target of 213 a distant blur and skipper KL Rahul batting from poor memory, Lucknow Super Giants appeared out for the count. But in a chase right out of the T20 handbook of the ‘nothing is impossible’ genre, the visitors pulled the fat out of the fire, conjuring a remarkable last-ball, one-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore in a humdinger.
Marcus Stoinis first, and then the effervescent Nicholas Pooran with the fastest half-century of the season (15 balls), were the architects of the latest heist in the Indian Premier League at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday. There was panic from both sides, needless adventurism from Lucknow with the finish line in sight, and a final-ball fumble from veteran stumper Dinesh Karthik that allowed tailenders Ravi Bishnoi and Avesh Khan to scramble the winning bye.
Siraj drops Stoinis
Perhaps, had Mohammed Siraj latched on to a difficult chance from Stoinis, Lucknow would have been further pegged back at 24-4. Instead, Stoinis made the most of the let-off, compensating for Rahul’s go-slow (18 off 20) with a breezy 30-ball 65.
The dismissals of Stoinis and Rahul within six runs and three balls of each other reduced Lucknow to 105-5, the force clearly with RCB given that Wayne Parnell, who had struck twice in his first over in his first IPL game in nearly nine years, and Siraj still had overs under their belt. But Pooran deigned otherwise, with a jaw-dropping exhibition of power-hitting. Karn Sharma, the leggie brought on as the Impact Player, suffered the most, going for 48 off three overs, but he alone wasn’t at the receiving end of Pooran’s blitzkrieg.
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Lucknow’s Impact Player Ayush Badoni too played his part in the sixth-wicket alliance of 84 in 35, and seemed to be hauling his team home after Pooran holed out in the deep, until he perished in attempting the outrageous, scooping a full toss from Parnell for six over fine-leg but knocking his stumps over with his bat on the follow through.
Dramatic finish
That triggered a dramatic final few deliveries—Mark Wood and Jaydev Unadkat perished playing glory shots when the required rate was a run a ball, Harshal Patel unsuccessfully tried to run out a backing-up Bishnoi at the bowler’s end off what would have been the last ball, and when he finally did release a slower one, Karthik’s nervy fumble helped Lucknow climb, if only temporarily, to the top of the table.
