The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) took on the Punjab Kings in Match 21 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Both teams were coming off wins in their previous matches and were looking to continue their winning momentum.
Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul won the toss and choose to bat first. The opening pair of Rahul and Mayank Agarwal got off to a good start, with the former looking in fine touch. However, Agarwal was dismissed early by LSG pacer Jasprit Bumrah, bringing in the in-form Shikhar Dhawan to the crease.
Dhawan and Rahul then stitched together a solid partnership, with both batsmen finding the boundaries regularly. Dhawan, in particular, was looking in sublime touch, with his trademark drives and cuts on full display. The duo brought up their fifty partnership in just 37 balls, with the Kings well-placed at 95/1 after 11 overs.
However, the LSG bowlers struck back in the next over, with Dhawan mistiming a pull shot off leg-spinner Rashid Khan and finding the fielder at deep mid-wicket. The left-hander departed for a well-made 47 off 29 balls, with the Kings losing their second wicket.
Rahul then brought up his half-century in the 14th over, but the Kings lost wickets at regular intervals thereafter. The LSG bowlers, led by Bumrah and Khan, kept the scoring in check and picked up wickets at crucial intervals, restricting the Kings to 159/7 in their 20 overs.
In reply, the LSG openers – Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock – got off to a brisk start, with Sharma taking the attack to the Kings bowlers. However, the introduction of left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar in the third over brought about the downfall of de Kock, who miscued a lofted shot and was caught at deep mid-wicket.
The LSG innings then stuttered, with the Kings bowlers bowling tight lines and picking up wickets at regular intervals. Sharma and No. 3 batsman Suryakumar Yadav tried to steady the ship, but the latter was dismissed in the ninth over, bringing in the big-hitting Kieron Pollard to the crease.
The LSG innings then lost momentum, with wickets falling regularly in the death overs. The Kings bowlers kept things tight and restricted the LSG to 138/8 in their 20 overs, winning the match by 21 runs.
The victory was a much-needed one for the Kings, who moved up to fourth place in the IPL 2023 standings with four wins from seven matches. The LSG, on the other hand, suffered their fourth defeat of the season and remained in seventh place with just two wins from seven matches.