IPL 2022: Du Plessis’ 96, Hazlewood’s four-fer help RCB beat LSG by 18 runs

Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 19 (ANI): Faf du Plessis’s 96-run knock and Josh Hazlewood’s four-wicket haul helped Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Lucknow Super Giants by 18 runs here at the Dr DY Patil Stadium.
Chasing a 182-run target Lucknow Super Giants did not get the best of start as they lost their wicket-keeper batter, Quinton de Kock, for 3 in the third over dismissed by Josh Hazlewood.
Hazlewood struck again as Lucknow lost their second wicket in the form of Manish Pandey for 6 to leave LSG at 33/2. Krunal Pandya and captain KL Rahul batted well to take their team beyond the 50-run mark in the seventh over.
The biggest jolt Lucknow got when they lost their in-form skipper KL Rahul as Harhal Patel dismissed him for 30 off 24 balls. Deepak Hooda joined Krunal Pandya in the middle and both helped Lucknow cross the 100-run mark in 12.2 overs.
In the next ball, Hooda was dismissed for 13 by Mohammed Siraj. In the next over they lost Krunal Pandya who scored an impressive 42 off 28 balls as LSG lost half of its side for 108.
Hazlewood took his third wicket of the match dismissing Ayush Badoni for 13 as Lucknow were left in trouble at 135/6. Marcus Stoinis with his powerful blows kept his side in the hunt. But Hazlewood cleaned him up to end LSG’s hope for any comeback.
Jason Holder hit some lusty blows to take his team’s total beyond the 150-run mark. Harshal Patel dismissed Holder to take his second wicket of the match as Lucknow Super Giants lost the match by 18 runs.
Earlier in the day put into bat Royal Challengers Bangalore got off to the worst possible start as pacer Dushmantha Chameera first dismissed opener, Anuj Rawat, for 4 followed by the prized scalp of Virat Kohli who was dismissed for a golden duck to leave his side tottering at 7/2 in first over.
RCB skipper Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell took the attack to the opposition and batted aggressively to take the team’s total to 43/2 in five overs. Krunal Pandya then dismissed Maxwell who got out after scoring 23 off 11 balls to leave RCB at 44/3.
Suyash Prabhudessai walked in to bat with du Plessis and took the team’s total beyond the 50-run mark. Jason Holder was introduced into the attack and he dismissed Prabhudessai for 10 as RCB lost their fourth wicket for 62.
Shahbaz Ahmed came in to bat with du Plessis and batted aggressively to help RCB reach the triple-figure mark in 12 overs. Captain du Plessis notched up his half-century off 40 balls.
The 70-run partnership between Shahbaz and du Plessis was finally broken as Shahbaz was run out for 26. In form wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik joined his skipper and took RCB’s total beyond a 150-run knock.
Faf du Plessis’ batted brilliantly but missed out on his ton by just four runs as he was dismissed for 96 by Holder in the 20th over to guide RCB to 181 for 6 in 20 overs. Dinesh Karthik remained unbeaten on 13.
Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 181/6 in 20 overs (Faf du Plessis 96, Shahbaz Ahmed 26; Jason Holder 2/25, 2/31 ) vs Lucknow Super Giants 163/8 in 20 overs (Krunal Pandya 42, KL Rahul 30; Josh Hazlewood 4/25). (ANI)