The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) beat the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 21 runs in the 11th IPL 2024 match on Saturday at Lucknow’s Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.
LSG stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran won the toss and chose to bat first in the match. The home team scored 199/8 in the first innings, thanks to contributions from Quinton de Kock (54), Nicholas Pooran (42) and Krunal Pandya (43). The Punjab Kings’ leading wicket-takers in the bowling department were Sam Curran (3/26) and Arshdeep Singh (2/30).
Punjab Kings batted next, yet couldn’t match Gujarat Titans’ big total. Scoring 178 runs for 5 wickets in 20 overs; they fell short by 21 runs. Opener Shikhar Dhawan anchored with 70 runs off 50 balls, top-scoring. Jonny Bairstow provided a strong start, adding 102 runs with Dhawan for the opening stand.
However, PBKS lost momentum after Bairstow’s dismissal in the 11th over. They kept losing wickets frequently, unable to build partnerships. Mayank Yadav was electric with pace, taking 3/27. His fiery spell derailed Punjab’s middle-order batting.
Fans on social media appreciated the IPL 2024 match between LSG and PBKS on Saturday night. They responded by uploading humorous memes on social media.
Here are some of the finest memes about the game:
Nicholas Pooran Expresses Satisfaction in Delivering Win to Home Crowd after LSG’s Triumph over PBKS in IPL 2024
At the post-match presentation, Lucknow Super Giants captain Nicholas Pooran reminisced on the victory and said:
“It’s a wonderful start. Nice to get a win for the home crowd. [Batting positions] It’s the start of the IPL tournament, so we have some conversations about the left-right combination and decide depending on the situation of the game. I thought it was a good score. Chasing 10s is always difficult. You can’t score at 10 runs per over for 20 overs without losing wickets. Once you get those wickets, it gets challenging. It’s fine.
Nicholas Pooran
Nicholas Pooran added:
“Shikhar and Bairstow played well but while they were batting, they didn’t take the game away from us. Everyone in the team is happy that Mayank got a chance to show what he’s about. It’s one thing bowling fast, but he’s also so accurate. It was great to sit back and enjoy it. It’s a young bowling attack. It’s about giving the local players the opportunity and understand how we can help them. We have a good coaching staff and some nice young players.”
Nicholas Pooran
Sunrisers Hyderabad will meet Gujarat Titans in their second IPL 2024 encounter on Sunday afternoon in Ahmedabad.