K.L. Rahul passed the loyalty test with flying colours as he consigned his former team Lucknow Super Giants to an eight-wicket defeat at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday (April 22, 2025) to consolidate Delhi Capitals’ second spot in the Indian Premier League standings.
A pursuit of 160 in tricky conditions was right up a technically sound Rahul’s alley, and he responded with a risk-free 40-ball fifty before imparting the finishing touches with a bit of flair — a six over deep midwicket.
When the ball was holding in the surface, he accessed the areas behind the wicket against the pacers for his first two boundaries.
When the spinners were operating, there was a brief lull during his 69-run partnership with Abishek Porel for the second wicket. But after sizing up the conditions, Porel broke the shackles with a reverse lap for four off Aiden Markram in the 10th over. The left-hander and Rahul picked a six each off Ravi Bishnoi’s overpitched deliveries in the next over, and when Porel mistimed a heave on leg-side, DC needed less than seven runs an over with more than eight overs remaining.
Skipper Axar Patel simplified the task with two sixes off Bishnoi in the 14th. By the time he and Rahul punished Shardul Thakur’s short deliveries with a six and a four, respectively, it was a foregone conclusion.
Earlier, after being asked to bat, Markram and Mitchell Marsh gave LSG a strong foundation, putting on an 87-run stand, but the middle-order failed to consolidate.
A loud cheer from the crowd followed when Markram greeted local boy Vipraj Nigam with a huge six. But the decibel levels dropped when Markram looked to clear the longer boundary and holed out at deep point off Dushmantha Chameera.
Markram’s departure triggered a collapse, with Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad and Marsh perishing in the span of three overs. Pooran fell to Mitchell Starc while Mukesh Kumar sent back Samad and Marsh in the same over.
While David Miller and Ayush Badoni gave the host a late flourish with a 49-run partnership, Rishabh Pant’s demotion to No. 7 raised eyebrows.
Coming in to face the final two deliveries of the innings, Pant failed to put bat on ball, leaving his team with a below-par total.
SCOREBOARD
LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS
Aiden Markram c Stubbs b Chameera 52 (33b, 2×4, 3×6), Mitchell Marsh b Mukesh 45 (36b, 3×4, 1×6), Nicholas Pooran b Starc 9 (5b, 2×4), Abdul Samad c & b Mukesh 2 (8b), David Miller (not out) 14 (15b, 1×4), Ayush Badoni (Impact Player for Marsh) b Mukesh 36 (21b, 6×4), Rishabh Pant b Mukesh 0 (2); Extras (w-1): 1; Total (for six wkts. in 20 overs): 159.
FALL OF WICKETS
1-87 (Markram, 9.6 overs), 2-99 (Pooran, 11.2), 3-107 (Samad, 13.2), 4-110 (Marsh, 13.6), 5-159 (Badoni, 19.4), 6-159 (Pant, 19.6).
CAPITALS BOWLING
Axar 4-0-29-0, Starc 4-0-25-1, Mukesh 4-0-33-4, Chameera 3-0-25-1, Vipraj 1-0-14-0, Kuldeep 4-0-33-0.
DELHI CAPITALS
Abishek Porel c Miller b Markram 51 (36b, 5×4, 1×6), Karun Nair b Markram 15 (9b, 2×4, 1×6), K.L. Rahul (not out) 57 (42b, 3×4, 3×6), Axar Patel (not out) 34 (20b, 1×4, 4×6); Extras (lb-1, w-3): 4; Total (for two wkts. in 17.5 overs): 161.
FALL OF WICKETS
1-36 (Karun, 3.4), 2-105 (Porel, 11.5).
SUPER GIANTS BOWLING
Shardul 2-0-28-0, Digvesh 4-0-24-0, Prince 2.5-0-23-0, Markram 3-0-30-2, Avesh 3-0-19-0, Bishnoi 3-0-36-0.
Toss: DC.
PoM: Mukesh.
Delhi Capitals won by eight wickets with 13 deliveries to spare.
Published – April 22, 2025 11:53 pm IST