'What a game': Fans laud one of the best IPL 2022 matches as LSG beat KKR in thriller
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) book their berth in the IPL 2022 playoffs after defeating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 2 runs in a thrilling encounter.
FollowDubbed as one of the most exciting games of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) sealed their berth in the playoffs after defeating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by two runs in Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium.
With this win, the KL Rahul-led side is in with a solid chance of claiming the second spot in the IPL 2022 points table, while the Shreyas Iyer-led side is officially eliminated from playoff contention.
LSG are now on 18 points, two points clear of Rajasthan Royals for sole possession of the second place. Lucknow will have to wait for the result of the Royals match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is known to understand if they'll finish second or not in the 15th edition of the T20 league.
Winning the toss and opting to bat first against Kolkata, LSG skipper Rahul joined forces with veteran opener De Kock to torment the potent bowling attack of the KKR side. The established opening pair of the Lucknow franchise ended up smashing multiple records by turning the tie into a high-scoring contest.
De Kock and Rahul scored the highest opening partnership in the history of the T20 tournament as LSG smashed 210-0 in the 20 over-contest. While skipper Rahul scored 68 off 51 balls, his partner-in-crime De Kock slammed his second IPL ton (140 off 70 balls), helping him register the third-highest individual score in the T20 league.
Also read:Â IPL 2022: De Kock, KL Rahul's historic opening stand: Records scripted by LSG stars
In response, Kolkata was reduced to 65-3 in 7.1 overs as Mohsin Khan got the better of Venkatesh Iyer (0) and Abhijeet Tomar (4) during Kolkata's steep run chase. However, Nitish Rana (42) and captain Iyer (50) played scintillating knocks as KKR managed to bounce back after the powerplay.
After Sam Billings' fighting 36-run knock, Rinku Singh and Sunil Narine showed their batting skills to put KKR in the driving seat. At a time when Kolkata was staring at a historic victory, Lucknow's Even Lewis plucked a one-handed stunner to remove free-scoring Rinku (40 off 15 balls) in the final over.Â
In the end, Marcus Stoinis defended three runs on the final ball to script LSG's thrilling 2-run win over KKR, leaving cricket fans entertained. KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer too was impressed and said, "I'm not feeling sad at all because that was one of the best games of cricket I've ever played, to be honest. The performance, the way we showed our character and attitude in this game, it was simply outstanding."
Here's a look at some of the reactions on Twitter following this mouth-watering encounter:
