Lucknow Super Giants 213 for 9 (Stoinis 65, Pooran 62, Siraj 3-22) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 212 for 2 (du Plessis 79*, Kohli 61, Maxwell 59, Mishra 1-18) by one wicket
It was a rolling ride where the teasing tickle in the stomach never seemed to stop, as the coaster went up and down, left and right, threatening to crash into a pool one moment before soaring high into the clouds the next. That’s what the game felt like.
Game over. The Royal Challengers Bangalore and their fans were left with broke hearts. The Super Giants claimed a humdinger.
Pooran pings sixes at will
Pooran’s fifty came up off 15 deliveries. Balls flew over long-on, square leg, extra cover and fine leg. Fielders’ jaws dropped and the bowlers’ spirits were crushed as Pooran was merciless. When he was finally dismissed, he left Super Giants needing only 24 from 18.
Royal Challengers replaced Anuj Rawat, who didn’t get to bat, with legspinner Karn at the start of their defence. Karn ended up conceding 48 in three overs, the most expensive economy for any Royal Challengers bowler (min. three overs) ever.
du Plessis, Maxwell and Kohli’s fifties in vain
Royal Challengers’ innings was of three parts: 56 runs in the powerplay, 48 in the next seven, and 108 from the final seven. The start was down to an attacking Kohli, who ended the first six overs on 42, with four fours and three sixes. But his last 19 runs took as many deliveries to come, with the Super Giants’ spinner Krunal Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi applying the brakes.
Carnage was to follow. In what turned to be a six-fest, du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell smacked 11 sixes until the end of the innings. Du Plessis finished on 79, while Maxwell smashed 59 at double the pace. Royal Challengers soared to 212. In the end, it was all for nothing.