IPL 2022 playoffs: 5 observations from RCB's thrilling eliminator win against LSG

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) staved off the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) threat by clinching a thrilling 14-run win in the eliminator of the IPL 2022 playoffs.

Buoyed by a fine century from Rajat Patidar who put on quite the show at Eden Gardens on Wednesday (May 25), RCB later survived a KL Rahul onslaught to book a date with the Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2.

The side went into the eliminator of the IPL 2022 playoffs after the Mumbai Indians (MI) sent the Delhi Capitals (DC) packing. They made it to the top 4 for the third time in a row — this time with a few results elsewhere going their way, and nudging them to the playoffs.

Despite setting a daunting 208-run target, Lucknow stayed in the hunt with KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda (45 off 26) keeping the game close. The former was pivotal in their chase, stacking up a belligerent 58-ball-79 to pull the game in his favor.

Bangalore had Josh Hazlewood to thank after his double strike in the penultimate over to get rid of Rahul and Krunal Pandya off successive deliveries. Harshal Patel held his own when Lucknow went hammer and tongs in the middle stages.

However, the new franchise will be proud of their journey making it to the playoffs in their maiden IPL appearance. From Deepak Hooda to Mohsin Khan impressing, they will take away quite a few positives.

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With this win, RCB get a day's break before they square off against Sanju Samson's Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday (May 27).

On that note, here are 5 takeaways from RCB's win over the Super Giants.

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#1 RCB's Rajat Patidar plays the knock of his life

In a match that saw the likes of Virat Kohli (25), Faf du Plessis (0) and Glenn Maxwell (9) falter, Rajat Patidar delivered with a century that had brute timing and class written all over it. He clobbered 12 fours and seven sixes in his unbeaten 54-ball-112 that saw RCB breach the 200-mark.

What stood out was his treatment of Ravi Bishnoi, creaming 26 runs in the latter's final over. It was crisp hitting at its best as he turned it on in the final stretch of the essay.

He found the perfect foil in Dinesh Karthik (37* off 23), who, despite struggling at the start of his innings, managed to pace it well after a flurry of hits to the fence off Avesh Khan's bowling.

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#2 LSG's sloppy day on the field

On the day it mattered the most, Lucknow's fielders were guilty of not latching on to catches that may have very well turned the tide of the game in their favour. It didn't help their case that the seamers were taken to the cleaners after KL Rahul, Deepak Hooda and Manan Vohra all spilled a catch each.

To further compound the woes, Dushmantha Chameera, Avesh Khan, and Ravi Bishnoi were all carted out for more than 40 runs in their four overs that further toughened the chase for Lucknow.

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#3 KL Rahul vs Mohammed Siraj: Timing beats pace

Mohammed Siraj started relatively well for RCB, bagging the wicket of Quinton de Kock, but Rahul later took him on, belting him for a couple of sixes and a four to end their powerplay on a positive note.

Credit to the LSG skipper as he waited for Siraj to bang it in with pace. All he had to do was get bat to ball with the right timing. Those hits to the fence and over it set the tone for the mid-innings push that Lucknow was looking for.

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#4 Just how do you play Harshal Patel?

Returning to play after a split webbing, Harshal Patel ended his evening with figures of 1/25 from his four overs. The Haryana pacer was spot-on with the slower ones, the nippy cutters and the slow bouncers that the Super Giants batters found difficult to do away with.

Traditionally known to give the seamers the much-needed bounce, the Eden Gardens strip proved to be a solid ally for Patel's variations. The medium pacer will be vital for RCB's ticket to the finals.

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#5 Rahul crosses 600 runs for the 3rd time in 3 editons

KL Rahul's counter-attacking knock against RCB in a key clash also meant crossing 600 runs for the third time in as many seasons. He notched up 670 runs in IPL 2020 and followed it up with 626 runs in the previous edition.

Not only did it highlight his consistency with the bat, but also kept that record of leading from the front intact. Rahul's flamboyance has been on full display this season with two centuries and five 50s as he finished IPL 2022 with 616 runs from 15 matches.