BENGALURU, India: Mayank Yadav’s express pace led Lucknow Super Giants to a 28-run win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League on Tuesday.
The 21-year-old Yadav, who clocked 156.7 kph, grabbed 3-14 as Bengaluru crashed to 153 all out in 19.4 overs for its third loss in four games.
Earlier, Bengaluru let Lucknow score a formidable 181-5, dropping both main run-scorers Quinton de Kock (81) and Nicholas Pooran (40). De Kock was in the 30s when Glenn Maxwell dropped the South African. Pooran went on to smash five sixes in the last two overs after getting reprieve when he had scored just 2.
Yadav made an impressive IPL debut in Lucknow’s previous win over Punjab Kings when the right-arm fast bowler picked up 3-27. He continued to trouble batters with his short balls to bag his second straight player of the match award after Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli had provided a rollicking start of 40 off 26 balls.
Kohli made 22 off 16 balls before he spliced a catch at backward point as he attempted a big shot against impact substitute spinner Manimaran Siddharth. Du Plessis was then run-out while going for a tight single against Yadav’s first ball in the power play before the express bowler broke through Bengaluru’s middle-order.
Both Maxwell and Cameron Green were undone by the pace of Yadav and went cheaply as Bengaluru slipped to 58-4 in the eighth over. Yadav came close to a four-wicket haul, but Dinesh Karthik took a successful review against leg before decision as the replays suggested the ball would have missed the stumps.
Bengaluru’s impact substitute Mahipal Lomror made a quickfire 33 off 13 balls, but Lucknow always looked in control as Afghanistan fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq finished off with 2-25.
Earlier, de Kock capitalized on Maxwell’s dropped catch and smashed eight fours and five sixes in his 56-ball knock. Maxwell tried to reduce the damage through his offspin with a controlled 2-23 spell in the middle overs, but de Kock did enough damage before holing out in the deep in the death overs off Reece Topley’s low full toss.
Pooran was dropped by Anuj Rawat but hit three straight sixes to Topley in the penultimate over before providing the perfect finish with another two big hits against Mohammed Siraj in the final over.