Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) suffered a loss against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in a tightly contested run chase during their IPL 2024 clash on Saturday, April 27. Both teams faced off in the 44th game of the tournament at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, where LSG batted first and faced challenges at the start.
Slow Start and Missed Opportunities
LSG struggled to find momentum early on in their innings, with opener Quinton de Kock departing for just eight runs and Marcus Stoinis going out for a duck. The team found themselves in a tough spot, but captain KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda helped stabilise the innings.
Rahul played a solid knock, scoring 76 runs off 48 deliveries, while Hooda contributed 50 runs off 31 balls. Together, they guided LSG to a respectable total of 196 runs. However, this total was not enough, as RR chased down the target and secured a seven-wicket victory.
After the match, LSG skipper KL Rahul spoke about the missed opportunities and areas where the team could have improved. He highlighted the partnership between him and Hooda, expressing regret that they couldn’t push the total closer to 220 runs.
“We left about 20 runs behind. We didn’t get off to an ideal start, but the partnership that me and Deepak Hooda had [got us on track]. Once we were set, that’s the time [in which] if Hooda could have pushed on, got 20 more runs, and if I could have pushed on and gotten 20 more runs, we could’ve probably finished at 220,” Rahul stated.
Rahul also acknowledged RR’s strong bowling performance in the first innings. Although LSG were at 150 for 3 by the 15th over, they could only manage to score 46 runs in the final five overs.
“RR bowled well in the last couple of overs; we were in a good position at 150 for 3 by the end of the 15th over. So, I think we should have capitalised a bit more and got about 20–25 runs more,” Rahul said.
Despite the loss, LSG showed moments of resilience and potential during their innings. The team will be looking to learn from their missed opportunities and improve their performance in future games.
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