Mohali: Attacking fifties from Marcus Stoinis and Kyle Mayers powered Lucknow Super Giants to historic 257/5 against Punjab Kings in an IPL 2023 match at IS Bindra Stadium, here on Friday.
Lucknow got off to a flying start thanks to Kyle Mayers Kyle Mayers 54 off 24. Then Marcus Stoinis and Ayush Badoni stitched 89 run partnership and LSG stood strong in the middle overs.
Nicholas Pooran’s 19-ball 45 quickfire did the rest as LSG posted a massive total of 257/5 on the board, second highest total in IPL history. RCB have the highest IPL total to their name when they scored 263/5 in 20 overs against Pune Warriors India in 2013.
PBKS debutant Gurnoor bowled a brilliant opening over, giving away just two. He could’ve got the LSG skipper KL Rahul, who looked to drive on the up and hit it straight to the point where Atharva Taide got both hands on the ball to his left but spilled it.
Mayers took the bowlers to the cleaners, hitting five boundaries and a massive six on free hit in three overs. In the fourth over, Kagiso Rabada drew the first blood as he sent back Rahul after conceding a six on the previous delivery.
Mayers kept punishing PBKS bowlers with his big hits as he completed his fifty off just 20 balls inside the powerplay. But Rabada didn’t let him stay on the crease for long as he dismissed the dangerous batter soon after he completed his half-century. At the end of the powerplay, LSG were 74 for 2.
Marcus Stoinis and Ayush Badoni continued with the onslaught as the duo kept LSG bowlers at bay with their calculated hits and stitched 89 off 47 balls for the third wicket partnership and LSG were strong in the middle overs, collecting 110 runs between 7-15 overs for the loss of one wicket.
Rahul Chahar almost trapped Stoinis in the 13th over but Liam Livingstone made a mess of it at the boundary line and the batter survived along with taking a six.
The next over Badoni swept over deep backward square leg for six runs and looked to go for another maximum. However, Livingstone had the last laugh as he managed to break the deadly-looking partnership, dismissing Badoni for 43.
Badoni top-edged the ball towards the deep square leg fielder and Chahar judged this one well and took a nice low catch. And Pooran finished the over hitting a back-to-back three boundaries.
Then, Stoinis and Pooran continued with the momentum and went on to build a 76-run partnership off just 30 balls, which Sam Curran broke in the penultimate over, sending Stoinis back for the score of 73.
Arshdeep denied Pooran a half-century in the final over. The former moved too far across the line and tried to scoop but missed it and Jitesh Sharma collected it nicely behind the stump but the umpire gave not out and PBKS went for a review. The replay showed that the ball missed the bat and flicked the pad on the way through to the keeper. So the decision is overturned to lbw out.
With five runs coming off the last two balls, LSG finished with 257/5 in 20 overs.
Brief scores: Lucknow Super Giants 257/5 in 20 overs (Kyle Mayers 54 off 24, Marcus Stoinis 72 off 40; Kagiso Rabada 2/52) against Punjab Kings.
(IANS)
