IPL 2025: Avesh Khan shines with 3-37 as LSG snatch victory from RR by two runs
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Synopsis
A thrilling two-run victory for Lucknow Super Giants over Rajasthan Royals was highlighted by Avesh Khan's stellar bowling performance, where he took 3-37, including defending nine runs in the final over. The match saw intense moments as LSG managed to defend their score of 180 amidst a strong chase from RR.
Key Takeaways
- Avesh Khan's outstanding bowling performance.
- Lucknow Super Giants successfully defended 180 runs.
- Rajasthan Royals struggled to finish the chase.
- Crucial contributions from Aiden Markram and Ayush Badoni.
- Intense final overs kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Jaipur, April 19 (NationPress) Fast bowler Avesh Khan recorded figures of 3-37, successfully defending nine runs in the last over, as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) expertly safeguarded their total of 180 to defeat Rajasthan Royals by two runs at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday. At 156/2 in 17 overs, RR appeared poised to complete their chase, facing a target of 25 runs from 18 balls. However, Avesh's precise yorkers proved decisive as he dismissed established batsmen Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag for 74 and 39 runs, respectively.
He later took out Shimron Hetmyer in the final over, conceding just six runs, to restrict RR to 178/5 and seal a thrilling come-from-behind victory for LSG, leaving the audience in disbelief.
For RR, it was another disappointing finish as they failed to close out a straightforward chase for the second consecutive match. The loss in Jaipur highlighted the impact of Sandeep Sharma, who leaked 27 runs in the final over, including four sixes to Abdul Samad, resulting in their fourth straight defeat.
In pursuit of 181, Jaiswal began aggressively, hitting Shardul Thakur for a boundary, while 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi made a grand entrance, hitting a six on his first ball against Thakur. He later smashed another six off Avesh.
Despite a top edge on a mistimed pull, Prince Yadav dropped the skier, and Ravi Bishnoi deflected the ball over the boundary. After hitting a four and six off Thakur, Jaiswal brought up RR’s fifty with back-to-back sixes off Aiden Markram, then added another maximum off Prince, leaving RR at 61/1 in the power-play.
Jaiswal and Suryavanshi continued their assault by scoring boundaries off Digvesh Rathi and Bishnoi until the former reached his fifty off 31 balls. However, LSG ended RR’s 85-run opening partnership when Suryavanshi was deceived in flight by Markram and lost his balance, allowing Rishabh Pant to stump him. LSG quickly struck again as Nitish Rana fell to Avesh.
Jaiswal, who enjoyed slicing balls through backward point, found support from stand-in captain Riyan Parag, who struck a six and a four off Prince and then edged Digvesh for another boundary.
Avesh, however, turned the tide in LSG’s favor by uprooting Jaiswal's middle stump with a perfect yorker and trapping Parag lbw with another well-placed yorker. With 19 runs needed from 11 balls, Shimron Hetmyer scored two boundaries off Prince, but fell to Avesh in the final over.
After David Miller dropped a crucial catch off Shubham Dubey, a boundary was required from the last ball, but Avesh only allowed one run, securing vital points for LSG and propelling them back into the top four of the points table.
Earlier, after being 54/3, Aiden Markram and Ayush Badoni propelled LSG to 180/5 with scores of 66 and 50, respectively, in a partnership that produced 76 runs off just 49 balls. Abdul Samad punished Sandeep in the last over, hammering four sixes for 27 runs, ending with a remarkable 30 off just 10 balls, which provided LSG the much-needed momentum.
Electing to bat first, LSG faced early setbacks during the power-play: Mitchell Marsh top-edged a pull to square leg off Jofra Archer, while Nicholas Pooran failed to capitalize on a reprieve and was dismissed lbw by Sandeep's clever slower delivery.
Pant's attempt to break free from his struggles resulted in a top edge on a reverse sweep off Wanindu Hasaranga, which hit Dhruv Jurel in the chest, but the wicketkeeper recovered to take the catch on the second attempt. Badoni, coming in as an impact player for Marsh, survived an LBW attempt while missing a sweep off Hasaranga, then teamed up with Markram, who had already hit five boundaries.
Markram struck Hasaranga for consecutive sixes before taking three runs off Sandeep to reach his fifty in 31 balls. Badoni joined the fun, hammering Sandeep for successive fours, and both players hit leg-side sixes off Theekshana.
However, Hasaranga broke the solid partnership as Markram attempted a lofted drive but holed out to long-off for 66. Badoni then scored two boundaries, including one from an edge, to bring up his fifty in 33 balls.
On the next ball, he tried to slice but was caught at deep point. It took Abdul Samad's four powerful sixes off Sandeep's last over for 27 runs to take LSG to a total of 180, which proved enough for a narrow victory.
Brief Scores:
Lucknow Super Giants 180/5 in 20 overs (Aiden Markram 66, Ayush Badoni 50; Wanindu Hasaranga 2-31, Tushar Deshpande 1-26) defeated Rajasthan Royals 178/5 in 20 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 74, Riyan Parag 39; Avesh Khan 3-37, Aiden Markram 1-18) by two runs
