IPL 2022 Playoffs, LSG vs RCB: 3 reasons why Lucknow lost the Eliminator 

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) beat debutants Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 14 runs in the IPL 2022 Eliminator at Eden Gardens on Wednesday. They will now face the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2 for a berth in the final. Gujarat Titans (GT) have already sealed their spot in the IPL 2022 title contest.

Rajat Patidar played an outrageous innings of 112* off 54 to help RCB breach the 200 mark in the first innings.

The chase was always going to be a herculean task for Lucknow against a well-rounded RCB bowling attack. KL Rahul (79 off 58) and Deepak Hooda (45 off 26) tried their best but the franchise remained 14 runs short of the target.

LSG played some wonderful cricket in their maiden IPL season. However, with the roster they had after a successful IPL mega auction, the elimination came across as an underachievement for the Lucknow-based side. On that note, here are the top three reasons why LSG lost the Eliminator against RCB.

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#1. Mediocre fielding efforts

There was a massive difference in the fielding between the two sides yesterday. RCB took every chance that came their way and saved a handful of runs through some great fielding, as well.

The Super Giants, on the other hand, had a poor day in the field. They dropped as many as four catches and even missed a run-out opportunity early in the innings.

Dinesh Karthik was handed a lifeline when he was batting on 2. KL Rahul came close to taking the catch, however, he wasn't able to hold on to it. Four balls later, man-in-form Rajat Patidar pulled a short-length delivery from Ravi Bishnoi, which carried comfortably to Deepak Hooda at deep mid-wicket. Unfortunately for LSG, the ball went through Hooda's hands and on to the boundary.

Lucknow will rue those dropped catches as they came close in the end. RCB batters made full use of those opportunities and piled up a gigantic total in the crunch tie.

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#2. Leaking too many runs at the death

The IPL debutants had a terrific start to the game when they dismissed RCB skipper Faf du Plessis in the very first over of the game. Rajat Patidar then took Krunal Pandya to the cleaners, while Virat Kohli continued to play at run-a-ball.

While Patidar was timing the ball exceptionally at one end, he kept losing partners at the other. Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mahipal Lomror, all three fell inside five overs.

With RCB 123-4 after 15 overs, LSG would've loved to chase down any target between 170 and 175. Yet, due to their substandard death bowling, the KL Rahul-led side had a 200+ target in front of them.

Courtesy of some late blitzes by Dinesh Karthik (37* off 23) and Patidar (112* off 54), RCB smashed as many as 84 runs in their last five overs. Bowling the 16th over, Bishnoi conceded 27 in his last six balls - the most expensive over of the day.

Leaking runs at a rate of 16.8, LSG gave away 20 to 25 extra runs in the last five overs, which came back to haunt them.

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#3. Lucknow's muddling batting-order

Lucknow's batting order was a talking point throughout their campaign. Whereas in one game, a lower-order batter like K Gowtham batted at No. 3, in another, an opener like Evin Lewis came in at No. 6.

Their line-up has once again come under criticism due to their mismanaged batting order against RCB. LSG went with as many as four pure openers in their starting XI - KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Manan Vohra, and Evin Lewis.

Despite the fact that Lewis has played at No. 3 in the past, LSG management sent in Vohra at three when they lost de Kock in the first over. Although Vohra did hit a couple of sixes during his stay, LSG missed out on a free-flowing strike that Lewis could've provided in the powerplay.

Eventually, Lewis had to bat at six after Hooda and Marcus Stoinis. The move clearly didn't go well for the Caribbean batter as he looked sluggish, making just 2* off 6.

What's more, Stoinis, who is also known for his power-hitting, had to wait till the 16th over for his chance to bat. This compounded the pressure on the Australian, and he ultimately succumbed in the 18th over, bowled by Harshal Patel.

In the end, the muddling batting order and IPL team selection proved costly for the Lucknow Super Giants.