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Lucknow Super Giants secured the place in the playoffs Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 after edge-passing Kolkata Knight Riders by one run. LSG spinner Ravi Bishnoi said that they will fight harder in the playoffs and will try to win the trophy.
KKR batter Rinku Singh's fighting knock of 67 runs was taking the game away from LSG but he fell short by just one run at Eden Gardens on Saturday. "Always feels good after a win. Morale is down.. sorry morale is up. See I'm not even able to talk properly. The way Rinku was batting, every ball there was a fear of the match getting away. The way he's batted this season is unbelievable. Haven't seen batting like that. Ball was sticking in the wicket today. Felt if the spinners bowled well, target will be difficult to get. Focus was to get wickets, bowl wicket to wicket. We'll fight hard in the playoffs and try to win the trophy," the LSG bowler said in the post-match presentation. Put to bat first by KKR, LSG posted a total of 176/8 in their 20 overs. LSG lost wickets at regular intervals and were 73/5 at one point. Quinton de Kock (28) and Prerak Mankad (26) contributed some useful knocks up the order. A 74-run stand between Nicholas Pooran (58 in 30 balls, with four boundaries and five sixes) and Ayush Badoni (25 in 21 balls, two fours and a six) and a cameo from Krishnappa Gowtham (11*) helped LSG reach a competitive total. Sunil Narine (2/28) was the pick of the bowlers for KKR. Vaibhav Arora (2/30) and Shardul Thakur (2/27 in two overs) got a couple scalps each as well. Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy got a wicket each. In the chase of 177, KKR started off on a high note, accumulating 61 runs in 5.5 overs before Venkatesh Iyer (24) was dismissed. After the dismissal of Jason Roy (45 in 28 balls, with seven fours and a six), KKR was reduced to 82/3 in their 10 overs.In the second half of the innings, KKR struggled to keep up with the required run rate. Despite Rinku Singh's valiant 67* in 33 balls, consisting of six fours and four sixes, KKR fell just one run short of a win. They finished at 175/7 in their 20 overs. Ravi Bishnoi (2/23) and Yash Thakur (2/31 in three overs) were the pick of the bowlers for LSG. Skipper Krunal Pandya and Gowtham got a wicket each. Pooran was given 'Player of the Match' award for his match-winning knock. With this victory, LSG qualify for the playoffs. They end their campaign with eight wins, five losses and one no result in 14 games. They have a total of 17 points and are at third position. KKR finished their campaign at seventh position with six wins, eight losses and a total of 12 points. (ANI)
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