IPL 2024

‘Yogi Ji yahan bhi kejriwal pe bhaari’ – Fans elated as Lucknow open their ITL 2023 campaign with 50-run win over Delhi

Lucknow's 50-run win takes them to the top of the table in ITL 2023 with a massive net run rate boost

Apr 1, 2023 11:36 pm

Day 2 of the Indian T20 League 2023 featured a doubleheader as Kolkata and Punjab prepared to face off in Mohali; Lucknow and Delhi watched the conclusion of the action in Mohali before beginning at Ekana Sports City. The tournament kicked off with a big opening ceremony in Ahmedabad, then included a gripping match between Chennai and Gujarat that went all the way to the final over. Gujarat, attempting to attain a target of 179 runs, finished the game with four balls remaining, making the chase seem quite simple.

Punjab had to resort to the DLS technique to defeat Kolkata by 7 runs in the opening match of the day. Punjab was invited to open the batting after Kolkata won the toss. Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Shikhar Dhawan continued to be the team’s biggest contributors, helping it reach 191/5 in the allotted 20 overs. Kolkata’s response saw consistent wicket losses as they could only reached 146/7 in 16 overs before being interrupted by the rain.

Mark Wood remained the star with a five-wicket haul

In the second game between Delhi and Lucknow, Delhi won the toss and elected to bowl first. Lucknow rode on opener Kyle Mayers’s quickfire 73 off 38 and Nicholas Pooran’s impactful 36 off 21 to set Delhi a challenging target of 194 runs. Khaleel Ahmed remained the pick of the bowlers returning with figures of 2/30 from four overs. Chetan Sakariya bagged two as well but remained expensive conceding 53 in his four overs.

In reply, Delhi started off steadily, backed by opener and skipper David Warner’s anchoring innings of 56 off 48. However, they lost three wickets within seven runs inviting their own downfall following the opening stand of 41 runs. Warner aside, Rilee Rossouw remained a key contributor with 30 off 20 while Axar Patel added 16 off 11. Delhi could only reach 143/9 as Mark Wood returned with five wickets in his four overs while conceding just 14 runs.

Next in the Indian T20 League, another doubleheader awaits fans on Sunday. Hyderabad and Rajasthan will face each other in the day’s first game, while Bangalore will open their campaign against Mumbai in an action-packed second game of Super Sunday.

Here’s how fans reacted to a clinical performance by Lucknow:

https://twitter.com/SuperHit07/status/1642224277322866689

https://twitter.com/bawaal136/status/1642224081306267649

LSG brigade
Bowling options are insane pic.twitter.com/zWJ5LfaKQZ

— Kai/L_🚩 (@79thHundredwhnx) April 1, 2023

LSG while defending the target in IPL
Loss
Win
Win
Win
Win
Win
Win
Win
Win
Not a KL Rahul fan but gotta appreciate his God Level captaincy

— UJJWAL (@_ujjW4L_) April 1, 2023