“Probably the find of this IPL so far”- Wasim Jaffer showers high praise on young LSG batter

Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer has hailed young Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) batter Ayush Badoni, terming him the find of the IPL so far. The 22-year-old played another crucial cameo under pressure against the Delhi Capitals (DC) on Thursday.

Badoni came into bat with LSG needing five off five balls while chasing 150. He smacked DC pacer Shardul Thakur for a four and a six to seal a six-wicket victory for his IPL team at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Praising Badoni for his impressive cameo, Jaffer said during a discussion on ESPNcricinfo:

“The way Ayush Badoni finished it off, facing just a couple of balls with some quality shots… He looks like a real talent, probably the find of this IPL so far.”

The youngster has made an extremely promising start to his IPL career. He began the edition with a 54-run knock against the Gujarat Titans (GT) and has followed it up with useful contributions of 19*, 19 and 10* off three balls against DC.

Sharing his thoughts on the LSG vs DC game, West Indian all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite said that the match reiterated the age-old saying "when you get in as a batter, you go deep".

According to him, the 20 runs (19 to be precise) Quinton de Kock (80) scored more than Prithvi Shaw (61) was probably the difference in the game.

Explaining his theory, Brathwaite elaborated:

“You talk about (DC being) 20 runs short. Prithvi Shaw got 60, Quinton de Kock got 80. Needed that one batter to go as deep as possible. Shaw would probably be disappointed with his dismissal, likewise De Kock. Everyone else who batted on that wicket barring those two, really struggled. Probably the difference was one player that got in got 20 more than the other. That potentially won LSG the game.”

Chasing 150, De Kock smashed 80 off 52 balls with the aid of nine fours and two sixes. Lucknow skipper KL Rahul (24) was the next highest scorer in the innings.

To see the updated IPL standings, click here.

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“What’s happening with the wickets” – Wasim Jaffer surprised with DY Patil surface for LSG vs DC game

The first couple of IPL 2022 matches played at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai produced high-scoring encounters. Punjab chased down 206 in the first match played at the venue. However, the last couple of games have been low-scoring ones.

Surprised by the changing nature of the wickets at the venue, Jaffer said:

“The surface (for Thursday’s match) looked a bit tacky. It looked like there was a little bit of tennis ball bounce. Apart from De Kock and Shaw, no one could time the ball nicely. It did look like batting was a little bit difficult. You find one game where the team scores 200 runs and the other day the team turns up and only loses three wickets but ends up getting 150. Does surprise me about what’s happening with the wickets.”

According to the IPL 2022 schedule, the next IPL 2022 match at the DY Patil Stadium will be played between the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Saturday, April 9.