Nicholas Pooran,RCB VS LSG:-

RCB buck the trend with low-scoring victory over LSG in Lucknow

The IPL 2023 season has been all about high-scoring matches, but the same cannot be said for Lucknow. After two high-scoring matches on Sunday, the city witnessed a low-Scoring match on Monday as the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) clinched an 18-run victory over the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), handing them their third consecutive home defeat.

Kohli and Du Plessis weather the storm to lay the foundation for RCB

The game-changing moment came early on in the match, as Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli combined for a crucial 62-run opening stand. The South African captain opted to bat on a slow pitch, and the duo waded through the early period with caution, especially against Krunal Pandya. In spite of the scarcity of boundaries, they managed to briefly increase their scoring tempo. However, Kohli's 30-ball 31 saw only three boundaries, while Du Plessis had a tough time hitting on the pitch, with only a single boundary and a six.

Spin twins Bishnoi and Mishra wreak havoc as RCB's batting collapses

LSG had five spin options at their disposal and took control in the middle overs, courtesy of the leg-spin duo of Ravi Bishnoi and Amit Mishra, who triggered a collapse and controlled the scoring rate. In the space of 42 balls, RCB slid from 62 for no loss to 109 for 5.

Afghan speedster Naveen ul Haq’s spell helps LSG restrict RCB to a low score

Naveen ul Haq, the Afghan speedster, deployed his deceivingly slow deliveries to clamp down on RCB's lower-order batters and prevent any chance of a comeback. While Wanindu Hasaranga remained steady at one end, Naveen dismissed Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, and Siraj from the other end still RCB managed to a respectable total of 126/9.

Siraj and Hazlewood strike early as RCB dominate LSG in IPL 2023

LSG's chase began disastrously with KL Rahul’s injury on the field, Impact Substitute Ayush Badoni walked out to open the innings with Kyle Mayers. However, before they could settle in, they were sent back. Mayers was caught behind for a second-ball duck off Siraj while Badoni's cover drove Hazlewood to Kohli. The powerplay proved to be a nightmare for them as they saw their fourth wicket fall, leaving them reeling at a mere score of 27 for 4. 

RCB's deadly comeback halts LSG's progress in IPL 2023

Nicholas Pooran attempted to go on the offensive early, slogging Hasaranga for a first-ball six. However, Nicholas Pooran attempted to take charge with a slog sweep off Karn Sharma but was caught, and LSG's attack strategy was best exploited by K Gowtham, who smacked both leggies were taken to the cleaners as they were struck for a maximum each in back-to-back overs. The hosts were finally picking up steam thanks to his blazing shots, but RCB's quick and deadly comeback soon halted their progress. The struggling Marcus Stoinis failed to execute his plan effectively and was caught at long-on after mistiming his slog, awarding Karn his second wicket of the day.

LSG's lower-order Conventional Shots Not Enough to Overcome RCB's Bowling Performance.

The dismissal of Gowtham proved too costly for LSG, as he attempted a tight second run and was outpaced by Sonu Yadav's flat throw from the deep, ending his 13-ball innings on 23. Even though LSG tried using conventional shots, their inability to hit big shots meant the target became more and more daunting. Bishnoi's efforts to steal a quick run resulted in his run out, while Rahul's arrival at No. 11 couldn't help the team's cause as they fell short by 18 runs. Mishra's late innings cameo only reduced the NRR deficit, but couldn't save the day for LSG.

RCB leaps to fifth spot with thrilling low-scoring victory over LSG

With this win, RCB moves up to the fifth spot in the league table, whereas LSG, who are also on 10 points, Slips to third owing to a super NRR. The match witnessed only 234 runs and as many as 19 wickets, making it a low-scoring yet thrilling contest.

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