IPL 2023: Top 5 lowest scores defended
After witnessing a lot of T20 action in the last one and a half months, the Indian Premier League (IPL) supporters are all set to get the champions in the next few days. Among 10 teams, Gujarat Titans (GT), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and Mumbai Indians (MI) came out as the best four sides in the round-robin stage, to vie for the trophy in the playoffs.
In the blockbuster league stage, fans relished some incredible matches. While most of the games were high-scoring during the league round but there were also a handful of low-scoring matches that didn’t disappoint ardent league buffs. In these pressure games, teams that batted first displayed their spunky side and succeeded in defending their respective low totals.
Here are the five lowest scores defended in IPL 2023
5. Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants, Match 26
In match 26 of IPL 2023, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) faced Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Winning the toss, RR skipper, Sanju Samson invited LSG to bat first. Riding on Kyle Mayers’s 51 off 42 and Nicholas Pooran’s 29 off 20, Super Giants amassed an average score of 154/7 in their 20 overs.
Chasing the total, RR started well, scoring 73 runs in their first 10 overs, without any loss. However, Marcus Stoinis delivered the first breakthrough to Super Giants, dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal on 44 off 35. Following Jaiswal's dismissal, skipper Samson also went back to the pavilion scoring only two runs off four balls.
Stoinis, who picked up Jaiswal, continued his assault in the next over, and this time, he bagged the important wicket of Jos Buttler. After Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer also fell cheaply on two off five. With 51 required off 29, RR batters Devdutt Padikkal and Riyan Parag were expected to be effective, but both batters struggled to accumulate runs at a fast pace. In the end, Parag remained unbeaten on 15 off 12 but Royals fell 10 runs short.
4. Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals, Match 34
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) hosted Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, in match 34. Batting first after winning the toss, Capitals lost their opening batter Phil Salt (0) early. After the England batter's dismissal, captain David Warner and Mitchell Marsh spent some time on the crease but failed to rack up runs quickly.
At the end of their innings, Capitals put up 144/9 on the board, with the help of Manish Pandey’s 34 off 27 and Axar Patel’s 34 off 34. Saving the low total, DC bowlers started positively as their premier pacer, Anrich Nortje, got Harry Brook (seven off 14) on the first delivery of the sixth over.
Mayank Agarwal remained at the crease for a good time but looked underconfident with his bat, concluding his innings on a lethargic 49 off 39. After Agarwal’s wicket, all other batters struggled against DC bowlers, except for Heinrich Klaasen, who hit 31 off 19 to take the match close for Sunrisers. However, in the end, it was DC’s day as they pulled off a victory by seven runs.
3. Lucknow Super Giants vs Gujarat Titans, Match 30
In the 30th match of IPL 2023, something unimaginable happened for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fans. At the Ekana Stadium, LSG squared off with the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans (GT). Before the start of the game, luck favoured Pandya as he won the toss and elected to bat first.
On the sluggish track, GT batters found it difficult to score runs but with the spunky batting efforts of Wriddhiman Saha and skipper Hardik Pandya, Titans chalked up 135/6 in their 20 overs. Coming out to chase the target of 136, LSG openers Kyle Mayers and skipper KL Rahul delivered a sensational start to the team, notching up more than 50 runs within the powerplay.
However, things started slipping out of LSG's hands after Mayer’s dismissal in the seventh over as Rahul and his deputy, Krunal Pandya played lethargic knocks that pushed Super Giants to the brink of the loss. With 12 required off the last over, Lucknow were expecting their skipper, Rahul, to take them home as he had spent adequate time at the crease.
However, Mohit Sharma got the better of the LSG captain on the second delivery of the last over of the contest. After Rahul’s fall, Marcus Stoinis also gave his wicket away on the next delivery, while attempting to clear the fence. In the next two deliveries, Ayush Badoni and Deepak Hooda got run out while stealing runs and with the final delivery bowled, GT handed a seven-run loss to the hosts.
2. Gujarat Titans vs Delhi Capitals, Match 44
Gujarat Titans (GT) played a fierce brand of cricket in the league round and ended up as the table toppers. Out of their 14 matches, they lost only four games, of which one was against Delhi Capitals (DC), who struggled to be among the wins throughout the competition.
At the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium, Titans hosted DC in match 44. DC skipper, David Warner won the toss and opted to bat first. Warner’s decision went against him as Mohammed Shami wreaked havoc on DC’s top order by sending half of their team back to the pavilion in the powerplay overs.
However, Aman Hakim Khan’s 51-run knock helped DC to reach a respectable score of 130/8 in the end. Defending the total, DC bowlers displayed their efficiency with the ball and secured a five-run triumph for their team. Ishant Sharma (2/23 in four overs), Khaleel Ahmed (2/24 in four overs), and Kuldeep Yadav (1/15 in four overs) stepped up and delivered unprecedented spells for their team in the intriguing contest.
1. Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Lucknow Super Giants, Match 43
At the Ekana Stadium, Lucknow, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Lucknow Super Gianst (LSG) clashed with each other for the second time in this year’s competition. RCB skipper, Faf du Plessis, won the toss and chose to bat first against the hosts.
On the slow batting surface, Challengers piled up 126/9 at their end of 20 overs, with the help of their skipper Faf du Plessis’s 44 off 40 and Virat Kohli’s 31 off 30. Pursuing the target, Lucknow’s top order batters Kyle Mayers, Krunal Pandya, Ayush Badoni, and Deepak Hooda went back to the pavilion cheaply within the powerplay overs.
Following the collapse of the top order, the responsibility was on Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis. However, both batters failed to turn up against the RCB bowlers, and with their wickets, LSG’s defeat looked certain. The lower-order batters Krishnappa Gowtham, Amit Mishra, and Naveen-ul-Haq put in some effort with their bat and helped Lucknow to cross the 100-run mark, but in the end, RCB grabbed an 18-run victory comfortably.
from Cricket Appeal: The Best and Funny Appeals in Cricket History – HOWZAT!!! | CricTracker.com https://ift.tt/GR1scrz
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