Mumbai: An sensational hundred by Quinton de Kock (140 not out off 70) and a solid fifty by KL Rahul (68 not out off 51) powered Lucknow Super Giants to 210/0 against Kolkata Knight Riders in the 66th match of the IPL 2022 at the Dr DY Patil Stadium, here on Wednesday. De Kock, who was given a life early in his innings, made KKR pay for it and he even overshadowed his opening partner KL Rahul with his knock. Both LSG batters remained not out till the last ball of the innings, didn't show any mercy on KKK bowlers and broke many records during the process.
Notably, it was for the first time a team batted the entire 20 overs in IPL without losing a wicket. It was also the highest opening stand ever in IPL history and the third highest partnership for any wicket in the cash-rich league. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, openers Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul gave Lucknow a steady start by scoring 44/0 in the powerplay. De Cock, who was dropped at third man by debutant Abhishek Tomar off Umesh Yadav in the 3rd over of the innings, was the aggressor while KL Rahul was playing the second fiddle.
After the end of powerplay, KKR openers Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy bowled with discipline and didn't allow LSG batters to open their arms, conceding just 13 runs in next two overs. Thereafter, KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer introduced Andre Russell into the attack and the batter dealt him by rotating the strike before De Kock launched the bowler for a six towards the long-on fence. On the other hand, Rahul also shifted gears and smashed Tim Southee for back to back sixers, taking Lucknow to 83/0 after 10 overs.
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During the process, Rahul also crossed his 500 runs for the season. He became the second player to do so in five successive editions after Warner who did so in six. With both Rahul and De Kock going strong against fast bowlers, Shreyas was forced to rely on his spinners as Nitish Rana, Chakravarthy and Narine bowled the next three overs. However, the move didn't reap any dividends as De Kock KL Rahul continued the attacking approach and brought up the 100-run partnership in the 13th over of the innings.
Heading into the final five overs, De Kock turned on the screws and smashed Chakravarthy for two sixes and a four in an 18-run over while racing into the 80s while Rahul hit Southee as LSG were racing towards a big total. Soon, De Kock, who was dictating the proceedings in the middle, slammed Andre Russell for a six and four to bring up his century off just 59 balls.
With only two overs to go, both LSG batters dealt in sixes. The Lucknow skipper welcomed Southee with a six and then passed the strike to De Kock, who hit the pacer for three consecutive sixes as Kiwi bowler conceded 27 runs in the 19th over. The Quinton de Kock show also continued in the final over as he hit Andre Russell for four consecutive boundaries, took 19 runs off the over and helped Lucknow Super Giants post 210/0 on the board.
Tim Southee (0/57) was the most expensive bowler for KKR while the likes of Andre Russell (0/45) and Varun Chakaravarthy (0/38) were also not far behind in conceding runs. Brief scores: Lucknow Super Giants 210/0 in 20 Overs (Quinton de Kock 140 not out, KL Rahul 68 not out).
IANS
