IPL 2022 Playoffs: RCB move closer to the final after beating LSG in the Eliminator due to a superlative effort by Rajat Patidar
Lucknow Super Giants did the correct thing by opting to bowl first in wet and clammy conditions as chasing would be easier. But little did they expect Rajat Patidar to blow them away with his maiden IPL century.
IPL 2022 Eliminator: LSG vs RCB
The day clearly belonged to Rajat Patidar (112* off 54 balls) as he was in sublime form with the ball racing off his bat making the sweet sound of the perfect contact. The drives, flicks and swiveling sixes were a treat to watch. On a day where batsmen like Virat Kohli (25 off 24 balls) and Dinesh Karthik (37* off 23 balls) struggled with timing, Patidar’s knock becomes more impressive.
RCB plundered 85 runs off the last 30 balls to out a massive total of 207/4. LSG fielding also were not upto the mark with a couple of dropped catches – one of Dinesh Karthik which the captain couldn’t hold on at mid-off and the other was of Patidar’s catch in deep mid-wicket when he was on 79.
For Lucknow Super Giants, KL Rahul (79 off 58 balls) put a good fight with support from Deepak Hooda (45 off 26 balls) but none of the other LSG batters could match upto the scoring rate.
In the end Josh Hazelwood’s (3 wks for 45 runs) bowling turned out to the heart-breaker for Lucknow.
