IPL 2024: Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings, 11th Match - Who Said What?

On a night that was dominated by the batters for the majority, young Mayank Yadav stole the show with his sheer pace. Just when Punjab were stealing the win, the 21-year-old brought Lucknow Super Giants back into the contest with three crucial wickets of Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma to help the hosts win the match by 21 runs. He also bowled over 155 kmph in the match and became the second-fastest Indian individual in the history of the tournament.

Also Read - Who is Mayank Yadav?

Batting first, Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul gave a flying start to Lucknow as the prior completed his 21st half-century in the tournament. Later on, Nicholas Pooran played some brilliant cricket as he hit 42 runs off 21 deliveries. Towards the fag end, Krunal Pandya smashed 43* runs off 22 deliveries which helped Lucknow post 199 runs in the first innings. 

When it came to the chase, Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow gave the side an incredible start. The duo stitched a partnership of 102 runs, which helped Punjab stay in the race for the majority of the time. However, after Mayank was introduced, things changed drastically as he cleaned up PBKS’ top order. Things started getting complicated after that, as PBKS fell short in the end.

1. Multiple positives for LSG batting unit

Quinton de Kock getting some runs is a massive positive for LSG as the South African international was struggling with his form. Later on, Pooran and Pandya played some sensational cricket as LSG finished really well in the end. They finished with 199 runs, which proved to be enough for the team.

2. Where is PBKS' middle order?

Dhawan and Bairstow gave a brilliant start to PBKS but the middle order once again failed to impress. It has been the template for Punjab for a long time now and if it doesn’t change, PBKS will be in trouble for the rest of the tournament.

3. Pace is pace!

In 2022, Lucknow’s Mohsin Khan impressed the fans and in 2024, it is likely to be Mayank Yadav. The youngster was clocking 150 kmph pretty consistently, which is a great sign for Lucknow as well as for Indian cricket. He picked up three wickets and was also adjudged Player of the Match on his debut.

Losing skipper Shikhar Dhawan said:

They played well, pity that Livi (Livingstone) got injured, that hurt us, he would have come at 4. We started off well, but Mayank bowled well with his pace. It was nice facing him, I was surprised at his pace, but I wanted to use his pace against him, but he bowled the bouncers and the yorkers well. I was quite mindful, asked the batters to use the short side and use his pace, but he bowled into his body (on Bairstow's dismissal) and got him OUT, I said the same to Jitesh as well. But Mohsin bowled really well, he kept a good length and suffocated us. We will have to analyse these defeats, the drop catch did cost us some momentum. That's something we'll have to improve going forward.

Winning skipper Nicholas Pooran said:

Wonderful start, nice to win in front of the home crowd. We had conversation, spoke about getting good starts. Spoke about getting the right combinations. It was a good total. It's a big venue, one side is big, one side short. It's about getting wickets and getting boundaries. It's only going to get challenging. Shikhar and Bairstow played well. They didn't take the game away from us as we got wickets at the right time. That was an inspiring performance, he (Mayank Yadav) is a young guy. He showed the entire worled how good he is. He is not only fast, but is accurate. It's the beuty of the IPL, gives the local players to perform. Wonderful platform. Every game is an opportunity, expect them to get better. The groundsmen have contributed, as a batsman you can't ask for anything more.

POTM Mayank Yadav said:

Never thought it would be such a good debut. Was nervous before the match. Tried to stick to my pace and aim at the stumps. Was thinking about using slower ones initially, but stuck to the quick ones. First wicket was special. It's good to debut at such a young age. Had a few goals, but can't help if injuries come in the way.