KL Rahul, the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants, stated on Friday that he has no reservations about using spinners early in the game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Lucknow moved to the top of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 standings with their second victory. Lucknow dominated SRH in every department, while Hyderabad simply did not compete. Rahul admitted to reading the pitch on the eve of the game.
As Jaydev Unadkat’s cutters gripped, the LSG captain stated that using spinners in power play was always in the cards. “We saw gripping in the first couple of overs when Jaydev bowled a few cutters. It was a no-brainer to start bowling and spinning early. I knew KP was more effective on the power play,” according to KL Rahul. Rahul also praised the batting unit for adapting well to the situation, claiming that the players had conversations to assist one another.
Coming to the match, Lucknow Super Giants, chasing a modest 122-run target, got off to a quick start with skipper KL Rahul and opener Kyle Mayers capitalising on every scoring opportunity that came their way. Afghan pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi brought Sunrisers back in the game, dismissing Mayers for 13 from 14 balls as LSG lost their first wicket for 35. In the next over, Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Deepak Hooda caught and bowled for 7, as the hosts lost their second wicket for 45 runs in six overs.
With just eight needed to win Adil Rashid gave a back-to-back blow to hosts Lucknow, dismissing KL Rahul’s leg-before wicket for 35 and dismissing Romario Shepherd for a golden duck to leave them struggling at 114/5.
It turned out to be too little, too late for Sunrisers Hyderabad as Nicholas Pooran went on to hit the winning run as Lucknow Super Giants registered their second win in three matches, while Sunrisers Hyderabad lost their second consecutive match and are still searching for their first win this season.