From Faf du Plessis to Karn Sharma: Top three performances for RCB against LSG

The Royal Challengers Bangalore seized their fifth win of the season as they romped over the Lucknow Super Giants in a low-scoring battle at the Ekana Sports City. Tempers flared after the game with a heated altercation between a few members of both teams but that did very little to dampen the mood in the RCB dugout as they climbed up to the 5th position of the points table.

Led by skipper Faf du Plessis’ 40-ball 4, RCB managed to amass 126 runs on the board, while Virat Kohli’s 31 played the perfect two to tango. Albeit LSG’s batting unit came a cropper with KL Rahul’s injury proving to be a major impediment, it was a magical display from RCB’s bowlers, led by Josh Hazlewood who seized the day for the visitors. Here are the top three performances for RCB against LSG.

1.    Faf du Plessis – 44 (40)

On a track that had made life difficult for the batsmen, the ball was barely coming onto the bat and with every passing delivery that got slower, it was a convincing display by RCB skipper Faf du Plessis, who hung around in the centre for a while, helping his team navigate the choppy waters with a controlled bout of aggression. He would strike a four and a six en route to his match-defining knock, also knitting a 62-run partnership with Virat Kohli at the top.

2.    Josh Hazlewood – 2/15 (4)

The Australian fast bowler set the tone of the game with an early blow that saw RCB double the miseries of the Super Giants after Mohammed Siraj bagged the big wicket of Kyle Mayers for a duck. Hazlewood claimed Ayush Badoni early in the innings following which he would return for another over in the death to bag Naveen ul Haq’s wicket, who proved to be the last straw of resistance for Lucknow Super Giants.

3.    Karn Sharma – 2/20 (4)

The experienced spinner was brought into the XI given how the track was bound to assist spinners, Karn needed no second invitation and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands, removing the dangerous pair of Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran to register magical figures of 2/20 from his four overs on the day.