IPL 2022 | LSG vs RCB - Superstars, Under-performer of the Match

A T20 game is always about close margins. A massive 20-run over can grant you the momentum, or a couple of wickets in a short span can resist the opposition. The clash between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore was another one that was decided by those close margins.

At 44-3 inside the batting Powerplay, the momentum was indeed on the Super Giants’ corner. However, then came a T20-Esque twist in the proceedings, and everything changed for the Bold Army. 

The team that enchants ‘Ee Sala Cup Namde’ has been playing with a whole new motivation under Faf du Plessis’ leadership. Dinesh Karthik’s sheer brilliance has won some games, others by their all-round bowling crew, but this victory was sealed just because of two ‘Superstars’. And here are who they were! 

Superstars of the Match

Faf du Plessis: RCB started their innings after losing two wickets in the very first over. One of these wickets was that of the ‘Run-machine’, Virat Kohli. And after a bit of rebuilding, they lost the big fish - Glenn Maxwell. Suddenly, the scoreboard was looking bitter for the Challengers. 

But this did not affect Faf du Plessis’ determination, and he played a perfect captain’s knock to pull his team out of the situation. The Proteas batter first stemmed a stabilizing partnership with Suyassh Prabhudesai and Shahbaz Ahmed before he changed gears in the fag-end with DK arrived. 

du Plessis took his time at the beginning of the innings and then went after the bowlers as he got an idea of the conditions. His knock of 96 runs from 64 deliveries was a perfect example of how T20 cricket can be played without brute force.

Let us take a look at how Faf built his innings.

Observation: When wickets were tumbling at the beginning of the innings, du Plessis looked to bite his time in the middle and just looked to pick up the ones and twos. After the loss of the fourth wicket, the RCB skipper got an ideal partner in Shabaz Ahmed. The latter just kept handing over the strike to his skip. 

The most crucial aspect of Faf’s knock was that he never looked to be over-aggressive. His progress was a steady one and the knock was a great mixture of aggression and composure. 

While he never looked to go berserk, he also ensured that Bangalore didn’t fall behind the game while keeping the scoreboard ticking. Faf has probably laid the template for going about things when your team was put under pressure early in the match with his innings last night. 

This ideal captain’s knock from Faf du Plessis makes him one of the ‘Superstars of the Match.’

Josh Hazlewood: Apart from du Plessis, the Australian pacer turned out to be the trump card for RCB in last night’s match. His performance in the previous game has made it evident that RCB’s fabled bowling woes have been solved this season. 

While analyzing his performance last match, first, let us look at the general expectation from him in IPL.

Note: In a four-over spell, Hazlewood is expected to pick up at least a wicket and usually, he scalps that one in the batting powerplay only. 

Now let us compare his average performance with his last night’s performance.

Observation: Yesterday, Hazlewood picked up wickets in all the phases of the innings. He picked up wickets in the batting powerplay and death overs as well.

His four wickets were Quinton de Kock, Manish Pandey, Ayush Badoni and Marcus Stoinis. All four of Hazlewood's wickets were very important as any one of them could have changed the game's complexion, especially of de Kock and Stoinis. 

Stoinis' dismissal was the most important given the stage of the game, with 34 runs required off 11 deliveries, and the Aussie all-rounder could have taken Lucknow home. But Hazlewood outclassed his compatriot by perfectly mixing his lines, lengths and pace. 

This special bowling effort last night makes Hazlewood our second 'Superstar of the Match.'

Underperformer of the Match

Yesterday's crackerjack saw 344 runs being scored in 40 overs. The average scoring rate for the match was 8.6 per over. In a game where runs were scored at a rate of 8.6 runs per over, Ravi Bishnoi conceded runs at a rate of 11.8 runs per over. The leggie also failed to pick up a single wicket. 

According to his general performance in IPL, he is expected to pick at least a single wicket after lending 28 runs off his quota. However, his figures against the Royal Challengers were totally un-Bishnoi-istic. 

LSG depend highly on the wily young spinner to pick up wickets and restrict the opposition's scoring rate in the middle overs. And with the bar that Bishnoi has set for himself, his performance was disappointing, to say the least. Thus, our 'Underperformer of the Match' is Ravi Bishnoi.