Lucknow Super Giants left it late for a thrilling last-over finish to beat Delhi Capitals by six wickets and climb up to the second spot in the IPL 2022 points table on Thursday night. They overhauled the target of 150 in 19.4 overs to finish with 155/4 and registered their third win of the season.
Here we take a look at the major talking points from the contest
Shaw Tees Off
Prithvi Shaw got the start in DC’s opening game of the season but fell on 38. He looked in fine touch. In the second game though he managed just 10. On Thursday, he looked determined to make it count as he came all guns blazing against LSG. The DC opener began with a pair of fours of off spinner Krishnappa Gowtham before unleashing hell on Avesh Khan with a hat-trick of boundaries. Barring Krunal Pandya, Shaw struck every bowler he faced in the contest for at least one boundary.
He fell on 61 off 34, an innings that featured nine fours and two sixes. And with DC’s scorecard reading 67/1! This when at the other end was Australian superstar David Warner.
DC Overseas Stars Off to a Rough Start
Warner had a rough start to his season. Playing in his first match for Delhi Capitals on Thursday night, Warner never got going as he unsuccessfully attempted to break free. He managed a scratchy four before Ravi Bishnoi delivered the sucker punch, inducing him to go after a wide delivery as he got a top-edge to be caught at backward point. It was also a forgettable night for another DC star Anrich Nortje who apart from being hammered by Quinton de Kock, also failed to complete his quota of overs – more on this later.
QDK Anchors LSG Chase
What Shaw did for DC, Quinton de Kock replicated for LSG. And did one better. Not only did he drove their innings during the initial part of the chase, he played the role of the anchor and made sure it stayed on track despite the late hiccups. He scored runs when on offer – creaming 19 runs in an over of Nortje. And completed his fifty off 36 deliveries. Even as LSG lost KL Rahul and Evin Lewis I quick succession, the presence of QDK was reassuring as he continued to play with ease, collecting boundaries. He made 80 off 52 before being dislodged.