Royal Challengers Bangalore are through to the second qualifier of the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) after defeating newcomers Lucknow Super Giants by 14 runs in the IPL Eliminator. The Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman Rajat Patidar shone brightly as he scored an unbeaten 112 runs from 54 balls, overshadowing some of his more illustrious teammates and opponents.
Lucknow Super Giants, one of two new franchises for the 2022 Indian Premier League, finished one place above Royal Challengers Bangalore in the points table this season. However, they went into the Eliminator match as slight underdogs with the sites discussed in the best sportsbook reviews online because of RCB’s experience of competing at this stage.
The Lucknow Super Giants won the toss and elected to field. RCB’s captain Faf Du Plessis went for a duck off the first ball he faced, leaving RCB on 1-4 and bringing Rajat Patidar to the crease. Patidar and Vira Kohli put on a partnership of 66 runs before Mohsin Khan caught Kohli from an Avesh Khan delivery.
Patidar’s Maiden T20 Century
Glen Maxwell put up nine runs from ten balls, with Mahipal Lomror scoring 14 off nine deliveries, but Patidar was still going strong. Wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik joined Patidar and racked up 37 runs from 23 balls when the 20-over limit was reached. Patidar rode his luck because he was dropped on 72 and again on 93 but ultimately finished unbeaten on 112 from 54 balls thanks, in part, to 12 fours and seven sixes.
The Super Giants were set the task of chasing 208 to win. Quinton De Kock falling for six runs did not help the new franchise’s cause, but KL Rahul put in a captain’s performance as he attempted to keep his team in the game, smashing five sixes before eventually falling for 79 runs from 58 balls. Rahul finishes with 618 runs in the tournament, trailing only Rajasthan Royals’ Jos Buttler.
Manan Vohra added 19, with Deepak Hoods putting 45 more runs onto the Super Giants’ score. It proved too little too late because Australian Josh Hazlewood took three wickets for 43, including two in as many balls. The Super Kings finished 14 runs shy on 193 for six.
Super Giants Will Learn From The Defeat
KL Rahul admitted his team fielded poorly and challenged his teammates to learn from experiencing defeat.
“We let ourselves down in the field. Dropping easy catches never helps. The difference was obviously Patidar playing such a knock. When someone in the top three scores a hundred, more often the team wins. They fielded really well, and we were poor. We’ll take back a lot of positives. It’s a new franchise. We’ve made a lot of mistakes; every team does that. We have to try and come back stronger. Mohsin showed everybody how good he is and what skill he possesses.”
It was a fairytale innings from the relatively-unknown Patidar, who went unsold in the 2022 auction. Patidar was only drafted into the TCB squad around the tournament’s halfway stage as an injury replacement. It is safe to say the 28-year-old took his chance and then some.
All eyes will be on Patidar when he and his RCB teammates take on the Rajasthan Royals on May 27. The current 2022 IPL favourites Gujarat Titans defeated the Royals by seven wickets in the Qualifier 1 match and will need to be at their best at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad if they are to beat Patidar and the Royal Challengers Bangalore and take their place in the final on May 29.
