LSG KL Rahul to score a century on his 100th IPL match

Lucknow Super Giants’ captain, KL Rahul, is living another peak of his career.

Rahul had just completed his 100th game in the Indian Premier League as he led LSG’s victory against the Mumbai Indians by 18 runs. He scored a century in 56 balls at Brabourne Stadium on Saturday. By default, he became the first batsman in the history of the IPL to smash a century in his 100th IPL match.

Additionally, he was the second cricketer to record several centuries against a single opponent as captain. The first one to do it was Virat ‘Cheeku’ Kohli when he scored 100 not out against the Gujarat Lions on April 24, 2016.

Rahul achieved a score of 103 not out, hitting nine fours and five sixes, eventually leading the team to a final score of 199/4.

Although he was not amongst the runs in the game, the pitch was up to his standards and he made the most of it. He kept a close eye on all his opponents, especially Tymal Mills.

He also received support from his batters, particularly Quinton de Kock with whom he had a 50-run opening stand. Manish Pandey joined him later in the middle, and together they had an over 70 run.

Rahul, the Player of the Match

"It was a special day and a special hundred," said Rahun, who was also awarded the title of the Player of the Match

"The batters haven't done well in the powerplay at times. Keeping the opposition quiet early in their innings would help. I don't look at oppositions differently, they are a champion side that's competitive. But I don't do much different," he said, admitting how the match could have been improved.

"The day games without dew are different, the bowlers were really clear and we need to be clear with the plans. That's the takeaway from our wins. The batters need to settle in and not collapse."

With this victory, LSG followed Gujarat Titans as the newcomers amongst the scoreboard’s top teams. His century specifically aided him in realising his long-time goal of getting into the Top 5.

"We have played well, we need to be humble and keep learning. The team is brilliant and I enjoy spending time with them, creating a team that was comfortable was something we looked for in the auction," he said.

Prior to his time with LSG, Rahul had played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 19 matches, Sunrisers Hyderabad (2o) and Punjab Kings (55). Rahul’s current overall IPL numbers are 100 matches, 91 innings, and 3508 runs with an average of 47.41 and a strike rate of 136.

The Rs 12 lakhs fine

Rahul was also in the news headlines for another reason recently, and the hype hasn't died down, to be honest. He and his team were fined because they maintained a slow over rate in their match against MI. They had to pay Rs 12 lakhs.

"The Lucknow Super Giants have been fined after they maintained a slow over rate during their TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 Match 26 against Mumbai Indians at the Brabourne Stadium - CCI, Mumbai on Saturday," said IPL in a statement.

"As it was the team's first offence of the season under the IPL's Code of Conduct relating to minimum over rate offences, captain KL Rahul was fined Rs 12 lakhs."