IPL 2023: Kyle Mayers, Mark Wood magic hand LSG maiden Ekana conquest over DC; netizens roar

It was a one-sided domination, as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) thumped Delhi Capitals (DC) by 50 runs in Match 3 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday. In LSG's maiden outing in Ekana, Kyle Mayers' knock of 73 and Mark Wood's five-for were too good to be handled by DC, whereas netizens were all-applause for the hosts' performance.

Winning the toss, DC skipper David Warner opted to bowl. LSG was off to a torrid start, as opener-cum-skipper KL Rahul's woeful form continued, falling for a mere eight to pacer Chetan Sakariya in the fourth over of the PowerPlay (PP) at 19. However, fellow opener Mayers and Deepak Hooda (17) added 78 for the second wicket, with the former quickly bringing up his maiden IPL half-century.

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However, the stand was broken by chinaman wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the 11th, with Hooda being the man to be dismissed, followed by Mayers in the following over after leg-spinner Axar Patel knocked him over at 100. While LSG was down to 117/4 by the 15th, Nicholas Pooran (36) and Ayush Badoni (18) contributed to a 48-run partnership for the fifth wicket before pacer Khaleel Ahmed removed the former in the 19th.

Badoni continued with his fireworks and fell in the final over to Sakariya at 187, while LSG finished on a convincing total of 193/6. Khaleel and Sakariya seized a couple of wickets each for DC, whereas the former was decently economical. As for the Impact Player (IP), DC had already replaced Khaleel with Aman Khan by the 19th, whereas off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham was the IP for LSG.

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As DC came out for the chase, openers Prithvi Shaw (12) and Warner (56) put on 41 before pacer Wood knocked over the former in the fifth over of the PP. DC was down to 48/3 by the seventh. However, Warner and Rilee Rossouw (30) added 38 for the fourth wicket before leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi dismissed the latter in the 12th.

Although Warner brought up his 24th IPL 50, he couldn't keep his momentum going, as DC kept losing wickets regularly post Rossouw's dismissal. While the incoming batters tried their luck, with the scoreboard pressure mounting, as LSG's sensible bowling, it was a destiny too far, as DC succumbed to a 50-run flop. For LSG, Wood held four, while he was also incredibly economical.