IPL 2022: Match 12, SRH vs LSG – Who Said What

Season has changed but the fortunes of Sunrisers Hyderabad! The Orange Army suffered their second successive defeat in IPL 2022 and Lucknow Super Giants are the latest to get the better of them. The pendulum of momentum was constantly moving as the game went right down to the wire. However, Avesh Khan’s four-wicket haul eventually took LSG to a 12-run triumph.

Earlier in the match, Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and opted to bowl at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai. Washington Sundar justified the decision with a stellar opening spell, where he dismissed Quinton de Kock and Evin Lewis for one run apiece. While Manish Pandey couldn’t do much either, skipper KL Rahul found a substantial partner in Deepak Hooda. The duo scored half-centuries and a brief cameo from Ayush Badoni meant LSG posted 169/7 in their allotted 20 overs.

In reply, SRH openers Kane Williamson and Abhishek Sharma played some good shots but were dismissed for 13 and 16 respectively. Coming to bat at number three, Rahul Tripathi took matters into his own hands and played a brilliant knock. He departed after scoring a well-paced 44 and then the game was all about twists and turns.

Nicholas Pooran and Washington Sundar played handy cameos and kept the required run rate in check. However, Avesh Khan’s two-wicket 18th over put the Super Giants in command. Eventually, the KL Rahul-led side clinched the contest by 12 runs.

Losing skipper, Kane Williamson said:

If you look at the performance, was certainly much improved from our first outing. The start with the ball was outstanding. Were in a strong position .. if we could just break that next partnership. Credit to Hooda and Rahul. I suppose with the bat there were glimpses. It was close but not close enough. Looked like a good surface. 170 on any day is a challenge .. have to play well. But at the same time we knew if we could build partnerships, get off to a reasonable start, we have enough firepower. Didn’t quite work today. The guys with the roles they have with the ball were outstanding. It’s small margins. A few ones and a few twos and the chase takes quite a different shape.

Winning skipper, KL Rahul said:

What’s been pleasing is that we have always found a way to stay in the game and give ourselves a chance to win, we did that again today. Not ideal to lose three wickets in the first four overs, it’s not something that’ll bring us down. that’s something we need to learn as a batting group how we can play risk-free cricket. With the ball, we have been brilliant in all three games and that’s something we need to carry ahead. You don’t chat so much in the middle. You don’t want to plan too much as openers. If the wicket is good, both of us go. We have the extra batter with Jason coming in, the plan is put the pressure on the opposition. That’s the body language we want to carry, go out there and look to hit boundaries and sixes. If we end up losing a couple of wickets, we need to assess the conditions quickly. Quinton and Lewis, it didn’t matter if an offie was bowling, they wanted to put pressure on him, didn’t come off the this game but that’s something to learn. I have been playing with him (Hooda) for the last 3-4 seasons and we talk a lot. He loves batting in the nets and never comes out. He’s keen to learn, he had to wait for chances and he;s using that. He’s become somebody whom we can rely on in the middle-order. He soaked in the pressure today and took on the bowling. Really pleased with the way he’s batting. Hopefully he can grow and get better.

Player of the Match, Avesh Khan said:

The plan always is how I can pick up wickets in the power play and slog overs. I wanted to bowl the slower ball (Williamson dismissal) because we felt that the ball was gripping and holding on the surface. The plan is to always bowl dots and try to hit the yorker length. I always get a lot of support from the captain and support staff, and want bowl with the same rhythm.