IPL 2022: Hazlewood, du Plessis perform superbly as RCB beat LSG by 18 runs

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) put in a superb performance in the 31st match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 taking place at Dr. DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, on Tuesday. The team under the leadership of captain Faf du Plessis continued their brilliant record in the IPL this season after beating the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 18 runs.

Du Plessis scored a majestic 96 and Hazlewood took 4 wickets as Bangalore overcame the Super Giants. This win is the fifth win for the Challengers in the seven games they have played so far. This win makes them move up 10 points and join the Gujarat Titans at the top of the IPL standings this season.

The 37-year-old skipper said that his team needed players to stabilize the half and then make moves at the back. In this match, he was grateful to be able to do it. Although du Plessis missed a century, he managed to bring his team to a glorious victory.

“Important that I am able to follow my blueprint of batting. If you bowled slow into the wicket to the big boundary, it never felt like you had enough power to clear that boundary," said the South African international.

"Early in the innings, there was help for the bowlers and they did get us in trouble but we found a way. Our bowlers then stuck to the plans and when you do that on a ground like this, it's tough for the batters.”

After RCB started the hit, their team had a few surprises at the start. After captain du Plessis came on, the Bangalore-based team managed to record 96 of 64 deliveries. Chasing a target of 182, Lucknow did not gain any momentum in the match and instead lost wickets continuously. Krunal Pandya recorded 42 of 28 balls and the team led by KL Rahul could only record 163/8 until they lost by 18 runs.

Meanwhile, Bangalore speedster Josh Hazlewood was at his best and did not let the LSG hitter find a rhythm in the match. The Australian cricketer managed to pick up a brilliant 4-wicket. Du Plessis, who had previously led RCB from the front, struck a superb strike to push Bangalore over the 180-run mark after they had trailed 62 runs in 7.2 over. The South African cricket star held on until the second last ball of the half to ensure RCB took a big hit.

RCB vs LSG

Du Plessis and Hazlewood contributed greatly to RCB's win over LSG in this match. According to du Plessis, the Challengers need to continue to consistently develop strengths and perform better during the innings.

"Need one guy to bat through consistently, but we haven't had that frequently. Before the last two games, it (death bowling) was a concern as we were getting hit in areas we shouldn't have been. But in the last two games, we've got hit to where we've wanted to,” du Plessis said.

Meanwhile, the Super Giants also had a brilliant opening pair duo. KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock are the biggest strengths of this team. As Rahul starts against Siraj with four consecutive attacks. But Hazlewood's arrival saw a pass past de Kock and pushed the outside edge.

Then, Maxwell took a good catch early on and it was one big hit for the Super Giants. As LSG began the chase, Krunal Pandya was expected to play a promising inning, but Lucknow hitters failed to fire enough firepower to cross the finish line. Meanwhile, Hazlewood became the Challengers' savior when he bagged four wickets.

Lucknow hoped to catch up with RCB depended on KL Rahul. Rahul showed his skills and took the score past 50 in seven overs. Yet after that, the luck left him and he lost the advantage on the foot. LSG also lost two quick wickets – from Quinton de Kock and Manish Pandey.