The 66th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) took place between the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Wednesday, May 18. The KL Rahul-led side secured a two-run win in the final contest at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.
Electing to bat first after winning the toss, LSG scored a mammoth 210-0 in the first innings. KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock became the first pair to bat the entire 20 overs in an IPL fixture. The South African wicket-keeper notched his second hundred in the competition while the skipper acted as the perfect ally at the other end.
KKR were instantly pegged back in their pursuit of the target. After being reduced to 10-2 in the powerplay, Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana launched a counter-attacking display to instill hope in the camp.
LSG struck back with wickets in the middle overs, leaving KKR reeling below the ascending required rate. A stunning partnership between Sunil Narine and Rinku Singh reignited hopes, but the side fell narrowly close in the end.
IPL 2022 Updated Points table
LSG became the second side to qualify for the IPL playoffs after Gujarat Titans. Their final position heavily relies on third-placed Rajasthan Royals' contest against Chennai Super Kings. The new franchise finished the league stage with 18 points to their name at a net-run rate of 0.251.
KKR's campaign comes to a solemn end with this defeat. The Shreyas Iyer-led side could only muster 12 points in the campaign and missed out on the playoffs for the third time in five seasons. They ended the proceedings with a net run-rate of 0.146.
IPL 2022 Orange Cap list updated
An unbeaten 68 off 51 deliveries not only sealed KL Rahul's return to form, but also helped him remain in the second spot on the IPL Orange Cap 2022 list. The LSG skipper finished the league stage with 537 runs at an average of 48.82.
Registering the highest score in the tournament so far, Quinton de Kock added 140 runs to his tally to climb to the No. 3 spot on the list. The wicket-keeper crossed the 500-run mark in the IPL for the third time in his career. He now has 502 runs at a strike rate of 149.40.
Deepak Hooda remains rooted in the sixth spot after not getting a chance to add anything to his run-tally. The all-rounder has 406 runs in the campaign at an average of 31.23.
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IPL 2022 Purple Cap list updated
Avesh Khan endured a horrible spell this evening, bearing the brunt of Iyer and Rana's aggression in the powerplay. The right-arm pacer ended with a forgettable figure of 0-60 in his four overs. Despite his poor outing, he makes his presence on the IPL 2022 Purple Cap list at the ninth spot with 17 wickets in 12 matches.
Andre Russell also bowled a wayward spell in the high-scoring encounter. The Caribbean all-rounder conceded 45 runs in his three overs and remains ranked tenth in the wicket-takers list with 17 scalps in 14 matches.
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