IPL 2022, LSG vs PBKS, Top Performances: Chameera 2-17, Krunal 2-11 suffocate PBKS; LSG at 3

IPL 2022, LSG vs PBKS, Top Performances: Dushmantha Chameera's 2-17 & 17, Krunal Pandya's 2-11 and Kagiso Rabada's 4-38 are top three performances from LSG vs PBKS.

LSG beat Punjab Kings by 20 runs and move to 3rd place in points table (Images ©BCCI/IPL)

Brief Scores: LSG 153/8 (De Kock 46, Hooda 34, Rabada 4-38) beat PBKS 133/8 (Bairstow 32, Mohsin 3-24, Krunal 2-11, Chameera 2-17) by 20 runs

Player of the Match: Krunal Pandya (2-11 in his four overs with a maiden)

Fourth-ranked Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) locked horns with Punjab Kings (PBKS), who were ranked seventh in the points table, at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) in Pune on Friday evening.

Four out of seven games at the MCA stadium have been won by teams batting first as the dew hasn’t made an additional impact on chasing sides.

Punjab captain Mayank Agarwal won the toss and opted to take the field. While they didn’t make any change in the eleven, Lucknow brought back Avesh Khan replacing Manish Pandey.

All-round show from Lucknow fires them to the third place

Lucknow lost their in form captain, KL Rahul early in the innings before Quinton de Kock and Deepak Hooda got together at the crease. But just after the dismissal of the former, Punjab made a great return in the game with five scalps for just 13 runs in about three overs. Later, few huge hits from Dushmantha Chameera and Mohsin Khan promoted LSG to 153/8 in their allotted 20 overs.

Punjab Kings, as has been usual in this season, got off to a good start, collecting 35 runs in just 4.4 overs before Lucknow got back into the game thanks to making regular inroads.

From 58/3 in eight overs, they slipped to 117/8 in 18 overs and the loss of key figures at regular intervals saw them losing the game by 20 runs.

Let’s take a look at the top three performances from the game between LSG and PBKS.

Kagiso Rabada took 4-38 against Lucknow Super Giants (Images ©BCCI/IPL)

Kagiso Rabada ruined Lucknow’s party with a four-wicket haul

Protea star pace bowler, Kagiso Rabada hasn’t been in his good old form and rhythm since the start of IPL 2022, but with crucial wickets at important phases of the game, did manage to shut all his critics on Friday.

In his very first over of the game, he sent back opponent leader KL Rahul, who has been the second-highest run-scorer of the season with 374 runs, thanks to a Test match dismissal where the ball stopped in the gloves of the keeper after taking the outside edge of Rahul on a personal score of 6. It was the second time Rabada caged Rahul in IPL, conceding just 28 off 25 balls.

Coming into his third over, Rabada picked up two more wickets; first, he foxed Krunal Pandya who was caught at long on for the first time in an IPL face-off with the left-hander after spending just 30 runs in 21 balls; second, Rabada got the better of Ayush Badoni on just 4.

He went for two continuous sixes in the first couple of deliveries of his last over but ended up with his fourth wicket of the evening; Dushmantha Chameera tried to crack a six but was caught in the hands of sweeper fielder on just 17.

Rabada finished the spell on 4-38 to restrict Lucknow to 155/8.

Read More: IPL 2022, CSK vs PBKS, Top Performances: Dhawan 88*, Rabada & Rishi's crucial strikes help PBKS win

Pandya gets player of the match for his 2-11 against Punjab Kings (Images ©BCCI/IPL)

Krunal Pandya, with figures of 2-11, pushes Punjab to the backfoot

Krunal Pandya, who was hired by LSG, in the auction for INR 8.25 crores in a biding war with Punjab, pushed PBKS on the backfoot with figures of 2-11 in his four overs. Krunal Pandya bowled as many as 15 dots in his four overs spell.

In his very first over, Krunal got rid of the fierce Bhanuka Rajapaksa on 9, when KL Rahul grabbed a very easy catch; the ball stopped and took the leading edge of the left-hander.

Coming into bowl his last over, he registered a maiden wicket over thanks to the dismissal of Jitesh Sharma whom Pandya dismissed plumb before the wicket on 2. The skill of drying up runs, besides picking crucial wickets pushed PBKS on the backfoot during the chase.

Read More: IPL 2022, Top Indian Bowlers: Pacers Natarajan, Umran, Khaleel impress besides resurgent ‘Kulcha’

Chameera put up an all-round show (2-17, 17) against Punjab Kings (Images ©BCCI/IPL)

Charged up Chameera continues to impress with 2-17 and essential late runs

Coming late in the innings with bat in hand, Sri Lanka player Dushmantha Chameera collected 17 vital runs off just 10 balls, thanks to a couple of sixes whacked out of the park, to take LSG over 150.

When he was called on to bowl in the powerplay, he gave just two runs in the first over, before spending just seven runs in the second over. He also sent back the ominous-looking Mayank Agarwal on 25 to draw first blood.

Chameera was recalled in the 16th over, and he straightaway delivered with his second ball thanks to the dismissal of Jonny Bairstow on 32 who might be have proven costly for them, if not dismissed. The ball was bowled fuller and wider, as Bairstow threw his willow at it and edged it to the third man fielder who was placed really fine.

The essential dismissal proved to be too good for the opponents as they went on to lose the game by 20 runs.

Read More: IPL 2022, MI vs LSG, Top Performances: Rahul 103*, Chameera's stifling 0-14 take LSG to number 4

TATA IPL 2022 Points Table

TATA IPL 2022 Points Table, LSG move to third spot

What’s to come

Saturday afternoon will see Gujarat Titans (GT) taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, before Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) lock horns in the evening game at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai.

Here are some of the top twitter reactions from LSG vs PBKS game, IPL 2022:

Read More: IPL 2022, LSG vs RCB, Top Performances: Faf's 96, Hazlewood 4-25 take RCB past RR to second place