LUCKNOW: IPL debutant Mayank Yadav turned an unlikely hero with his express pace and three wickets to help Lucknow Super Giants to their first season win on Saturday.
Lucknow beat Punjab Kings by 21 runs at their home ground after they posted 199-8 following Quinton de Kock’s fifty and a quick-fire 42 by stand-in skipper Nicholas Pooran.
In reply, Punjab finished on 178-5 despite a 102-run opening stand between skipper Shikhar Dhawan (70) and Jonny Bairstow (42).
Yadav, who sent down this season’s fastest delivery of 156km/h, broke the stand with his maiden wicket of Bairstow and returned figures of 3-27 to swing back the momentum in Lucknow’s favor.
“Mayank’s was the story of the night,” said Pooran of his man-of-the-match performer.
“It was an inspiring performance. Every person in the team is happy he got a chance and performed tonight. Was wonderful watching him from mid-off.”
Delhi-born Yadav went to Lucknow for $24,000 last year but failed to turn up after an injury cost him the entire 2023 season.
Yadav came back from a 10-run first over to get Bairstow out with a short ball after the batsman miscued it to deep mid-wicket.
The 21-year-old got two more wickets to flatten the opposition chase.
“Plan was to not be under too much pressure and to bowl at the stumps and use the pace as much as possible,” said Yadav.
“There was the thought to mix up the pace initially but the wicket helped and the skipper told me to bowl gas.”
He said Bairstow’s debut wicket was his “favorite.”
Fellow quick Mohsin Khan took two wickets including Dhawan and Sam Curran, out for a duck, on successive balls as Punjab fell to their second straight loss after an opening win.
The batters set up victory with De Kock’s fifty and a rapid 42 by Pooran helping Lucknow to 199-8.
West Indies star Pooran smashed three fours and three sixes in his 21-ball blitz after regular skipper KL Rahul opted to play only as an opener at his home ground.
De Kock hit 54 to lay the foundations for Lucknow’s total with an attacking start despite losing Rahul in the fourth over.
Rahul, who returned to competitive cricket in the IPL after an injury, led Lucknow in the team’s first loss but took a backseat on home turf and was replaced in the second innings by impact substitute Naveen-ul-Haq.
De Kock put on 47 runs off 27 balls with fellow left-hander Pooran, who took on the opposition attack with hits all around.
De Kock reached his 21st IPL fifty in 34 balls with a boundary off seam bowler Harshal Patel but soon fell to Arshdeep Singh’s left-arm medium-pace.
Lucknow lost regular wickets but Krunal Pandya hit an unbeaten 43 off 22 balls in a late assault, which fired the hosts to match the best total at the venue — Lucknow’s 199-6 against Delhi Capitals last year.
Yadav turns ‘story of the night’ in Lucknow’s first IPL 2024 win
https://arab.news/6shz5
Yadav turns ‘story of the night’ in Lucknow’s first IPL 2024 win
- Delhi-born Yadav went to Lucknow for $24,000 last year but failed to turn up after an injury cost him the entire 2023 season
Desert Vipers beat MI Emirates by 1 run in a last-ball finish
- David Payne’s 3-wicket over at the death turned the tide in favor of the Vipers
- Shrewd bowling by the MI Emirates, led by AM Ghazanfar’s 2-wicket haul, restricted the Vipers to 159/4
ABU DHABI: The Desert Vipers beat the MI Emirates by one run at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
The win, which went down to the last ball, was the Vipers’ fourth-straight triumph of the DP World ILT20 season four. The Vipers have consolidated their position at the top of the table with eight points.
Defending 159, the Vipers initially struggled to take wickets. The game turned in the 19th over, when David Payne — who finished with four for 29 — claimed three crucial scalps.
The UAE’s Khuzaima Tanveer was also impressive with two for 34, as the Vipers showed their composure once again.
In the second innings, the MI Emirates lost an early wicket when Tanveer dismissed Jonny Bairstow (8 off 7) in the second over. It was Muhammad Waseem (24 off 21) and Tom Banton (34 off 29) who steered the MI Emirates through the powerplay with the score at 49/1.
They erected a 42-run stand in 31 balls before Tanveer struck again in his second spell of the night to remove Waseem. Banton looked in complete control when Nicholas Pooran (31 off 29) joined him in the middle.
The duo looked settled, completing another 42-run partnership, this time in 40 balls. However, Sam Curran sent Pooran back in the 14th over with 62 needed off 36 balls.
Banton followed in the next over as Payne bagged his first wicket of the night, bringing the score to 105/4. Tajinder Singh (17 off 7) hit Curran for a couple of sixes that brought the MI Emirates ahead of the equation with a 20-run over.
Lockie Ferguson then ended Singh’s stay at the crease with his first wicket of the match in the 18th over.
Another twist in the penultimate over saw Payne turn the match on its head. First, he got Romario Shepherd (1 off 4), followed by the wicket of skipper Kieron Pollard (23 off 13). Chris Woakes (0 off 2) followed in the final ball, meaning that the MI Emirates needed 16 runs in six balls to win.
Rashid Khan (13* off 8) could have been the match winner, hitting a six and a four in the final over, but the MI Emirates could not find the two runs needed on the last ball.
Batting first, the Vipers had started on a promising note, led by Fakhar Zaman (35 off 31). By the end of the powerplay, the Vipers were 51/0, threatening to make their way to a big score.
After Andries Gous (21 off 15) retired hurt, Zaman combined with Max Holden (42 off 37) for a 51-run stand in 37 balls. AM Ghazanfar then got the breakthrough when Zaman holed out to Banton. Following his wicket, the bowlers kept the pressure on the Vipers, ensuring that boundaries were scarce.
Shimron Hetmyer (15 off 9) entered the fray after Holden retired-out and hit the first six of the innings in the 18th over. Soon after, Curran (19 off 19) hit the ball straight into Banton’s hands to give Ghazanfar his second wicket of the night.
Dan Lawrence (15* off 8) also provided a key contribution toward the end while Hetmyer was scalped by Fazalhaq Farooqi in the final over of the innings as the Vipers finished at 159/4.
Player of the Match Payne said: “It felt as though we were hanging on towards the end, waiting for the moment to break through.
“When that happened, we managed to take a few crucial wickets, and Rashid Khan ensured it went right down to the wire — probably an entertaining contest for the neutral.
“We kept the plans simple, hitting the pitch with good line and length. Overall, simplicity worked well today.”
The MI Emirates’ captain Pollard said: “In our last game, we snuck over the line when we probably shouldn’t have won, and this time it turned around on us. The Vipers bowled brilliantly.
“We didn’t finish the innings well, especially in the last couple of overs. It shows again that if you stay in the fight long enough in cricket, momentum can shift and you can lose from a winning position and that’s what happened to us tonight.”
