Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) set a 127-run target after choosing to bat first against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Monday, May 1.
Skipper Faf du Plessis led from the front, scoring 44 off 40 balls, including a boundary and a six each. Virat Kohli too scored 31 off 30 balls, including three fours. The duo shared a 62-run partnership for the first wicket to set up the platform.
However, Bangalore’s middle order once again choked as Dinesh Karthik (16 off 11 deliveries) was the only batter to reach double figures.
LSG pacer Naveen-ul-Haq emerged as the pick of the bowlers, returning with figures of 3/30. Amit Mishra and Ravi Bishnoi also finished with identical figures of 2/21. Krishnappa Gowtham settled for a solitary wicket.
Fans on Twitter expressed their disappointment with RCB's underwhelming score against LSG. One user tweeted:
“Aur kitna zaleel karogey? (How much more will you humiliate?)”
Here are some of the other entertaining Twitter reactions:
“It’s a slow wicket” – Faf du Plessis sheds light on Lucknow's pitch after RCB’s innings
Faf du Plessis called it a challenging wicket to bat after the Royal Challengers scored 126/9 in their allotted 20 overs. He felt that the visitors fell slightly short of the par score.
The 38-year-old batter, though, backed his spinners to come into play and deliver after LSG spinners exploited the home conditions to their advantage.
Speaking on the mid-innings break, du Plessis said:
“It's a slow wicket, not a lot of bounce, and thought 135 would be a par score. If we can get 1-2 wickets in the powerplay, will be a tough chase. If you bowl into the wicket, it is stopping, and the boundary scoring is also really hard."
"When we try to force the boundaries it is hitting the toe end of the bat. We got some really good spinners in our side, and if we can get those early wickets, it'd be nice," he added.
Chasing 127, LSG were 1/1 after one over, with Krunal Pandya and Ayush Badoni at the crease.
Follow LSG vs RCB live score updates here.
Looking for fast live cricket scores? Download CricRocket and get fast score updates, top-notch commentary in-depth match stats & much more! 🚀☄️