Good way to finish league stage: KL on 2-run win

MUMBAI: Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul was a relieved man after his team secured a play-off berth by edging out Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL 2022 thriller here.

Defending 210 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday, Lucknow restricted Kolkata to 208 for eight and eliminated the two-time winner. LSG progressed with 18 points while KKR ended its season with just 12 points.

“I should probably get paid more for games like these (laughs). [We] could easily have been on the losing side. [We] could have gone back home thinking we lost due to some poor cricket. It was a good way to finish the last game of the league season,” said Rahul.

“[I] cannot say we held our nerves better because it was a matter of (two) runs,” Rahul added.

Rahul was effusive in his praise for opener Quinton de Kock and left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan, who were the chief architects of Lucknow’s victory. While de Kock smashed an unbeaten 140 off just 70 deliveries, Mohsin picked up a three-wicket haul.

“He (de Kock) was striking the ball so crisply and cleanly. In some of the [previous] games, guys who were having good days were not winning us matches. Guys getting 30s and 40s had to get us 80s and 90s. That is exactly what he did,” said Rahul, who shared a 210-run stand with de Kock for the unbroken first wicket.

“Mohsin has been outstanding for us in the last few games. He has the skills, but the most important thing is his knowledge of when to use them,” Rahul went on to add.