RR VS LSG MATCH 26

That's it from the coverage of this game. Guess what, we have a double-header planned for you guys. Don't check your calendars, it's not a weekend. We'll meet again on 20th April, Thursday. In the first match of the day, Punjab will be locking horns against Bangalore at 3.30 pm IST (10 am GMT) and that will be followed by an enticing encounter between Delhi and Kolkata at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT). But as you all know, you can join us early for the build-up. Sayonara!

Marcus Stoinis wins the MAN OF THE MATCH award for his all-round effort out on the field. Starts by saying it was nice to get the ball in hand. Mentions that they identified the wicket early on and realised that it is not a deck where you get 50 off just 15 odd balls. Informs that they decided to take things slow. Adds that he is feeling good fitness-wise and hopes to play a consistent role.

KL Rahul, the victorious skipper is in for a chat. He says that they thought 160 was a good total at the 10th over mark while batting. Adds that they set themselves a target that was achievable but fell 10 short of what they had thought. Credits the bowlers who did a fine job and restricted the Rajasthan batters. Mentions that the wicket was low and was not coming off that well. Adds that they assessed the wicket well and got to a reasonable total. Closes by saying that the run out of Samson and back-to-back wickets allowed them to come back into the game and he is happy with an away win.

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Kyle Mayers now is in for a spot interview. He says that it is a really good victory away from home. Informs that this pitch was a difficult one, it wasn't the best for strokeplay. He tried to put away as many bad balls as possible because it was always difficult for the new batter to settle in. Adds that he tries to pick his battles and tries to capitalise. Informs that he does not think the wicket was two-paced but it was keeping really low. Adds that it was difficult to get under the ball.

Sanju Samson, the captain of Rajasthan, says he would have loved to win the first game in Jaipur but adds that he will take the lessons and move on. Mentions that it was a chasable score with their batting line-up. Shares that he expected a slow and low wicket and it turned out that way. Adds that they had to play smart cricket and they did that till the halfway stage of the chase. Shares that it was a matter of one big over of 15-16 runs. Mentions 50 off the five overs got tough on this wicket with the big boundaries. Also credits the Lucknow bowlers to pull it back. Closes by saying that they have a lesson to learn in both departments and come back stronger.

Earlier in the innings, after being put to bat, Lucknow started off in a sedate fashion on this slow deck. Kyle Mayers had to work hard to get his half-century but he made sure to put away every bad ball that came his way. KL Rahul supported him well but slipped out on 39. Even for Lucknow, new batters struggled to find their feet. From 10 overs to 14 overs - Lucknow could only score 25 runs and lost 4 wickets in such a short time. Still, they managed to get some 20 runs above the average score on this wicket, thanks to Pooran and Stoinis. It was a stunning spell from Ravichandran Ashwin which did the trick for the hosts early on. Eventually, it proved to be a bit too much for Rajasthan.

The Lucknow bowlers made sure to keep things tight with the ball, especially at the death. There was a slight hiccup when Marcus Stoinis got hit for three boundaries in the 18th over. This put some pressure back on Lucknow, but Naveen-ul-Haq and Avesh Khan were on song for the final two overs and sealed the game for their side. Avesh Khan stood out with the ball with his three-wicket haul, while Marcus Stoinis, who inspired this whole comeback, ended up with a couple to his name.

Rajasthan played in Jaipur nearly after 4 years tonight, but they could not get the winning momentum back home. It was a very tricky pitch to bat on because anywhere else, this batting rank of Rajasthan has enough hard-hitters at their disposal to chase down 155 runs. Although, it was not the homecoming they were after. The wicket was slow, and it was a tough task for a new batter to settle in straight away. Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal set a solid platform, but the key was, that they had enough time to get their eye-in. Once, Yashasvi Jaiswal slipped, it kind of opened the gates and Lucknow made the most of it. Thanks to a brilliant piece of fielding by Amit Mishra, which took the Rajasthan skipper, Sanju Samson out for just a brace.

A statement victory for Lucknow, that too, away from home. The Lucknow bowlers fought till the very end and made sure to get over the line and not let Rajasthan extend the gap at the top of the points table. The Lucknow players are delighted and the celebrations have begun in their camp. A few fallen shoulders in the Rajasthan dugout. They will be gutted by this defeat.

Lucknow have done it! Avesh Khan wins this for his side. Short of a length around off. Ravichandran Ashwin pulls it toward the deep mid-wicket region. Ravi Bishnoi drops a dolly in the deep but it does not matter. Lucknow have pulled this back brilliantly and won this close game by just 10 runs. They bag 2 points tonight. Kudos to KL Rahul and team!

Full and on off. Ravichandran Ashwin heaves it toward the deep mid-wicket and takes two.

Ravichandran Ashwin is the new batter in.

OUT! CAUGHT AT THE FENCE! What a superb catch under pressure! Full and in the slot on off. Dhruv Jurel goes deep into his crease and lofts it toward the long-on region. Deepak Hooda times his jump to perfection and takes a brilliant catch to dismiss Jurel for a golden duck. Avesh Khan has closed out this game and needs to bowl two legal deliveries to win this for Lucknow.

Dhruv Jurel comes in next. Will he be able to finish the job for his side?

OUT! CAUGHT! Devdutt Padikkal departs! Very full and outside off. Devdutt Padikkal reaches for it to slice it away but ends up edging it to Pooran behind the stumps. Padikkal goes for 26 and Rajasthan are in a fix.

LEG BYE! Good length delivery on off. Riyan Parag swings hard and misses. The ball deflects off the pad toward short third for a leg bye.

FOUR! BANG! Riyan Parag starts off the final over with a boundary. Full and outside off. Riyan Parag slices this over point for a cracking boundary.