IPL 2023 has seen teams score 200+ totals for the most number of times and yet, this match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants showed why low-scoring contests can be entertaining as well. Neither team crossed even 150 and yet, this match went down to the death overs, where the hosts missed the plot as they had already lost too many wickets.  Eventually, RCB succeeded in exacting revenge in this ‘payback week’ of the IPL this season. Faf du Plessis returned to lead the team again after having recovered from his injury, but his counterpart-KL Rahul suffered one in the initial stages of the first innings when he clutched his thigh while trying to stop an imminent boundary. He fell on the ground and grimaced in pain, much to the shock of the audience at the Ekana Stadium and later, limped off the field. RCB batters did well to get to 126-odd runs in the first innings on a pitch, which made run-scoring extremely difficult. 'Virat Kohli vs Gautam Gambhir 2.0!' RCB Star Engages in Heated Exchange With LSG Mentor After IPL 2023 Match, Netizens React (Watch Videos).

Lucknow Super Giants perished as they went for the glory shots too early in the second contest, probably wanting to finish things early. Instead, they lost wickets in heaps and, soon, were reduced to 38/5 inside the powerplay. With Rahul already sidelined, one of their batters should have anchored this chase, but none did, with their top scorers being Krishnappa Gowtham (23) and Amit Mishra (19). Rahul did show a lot of courage in coming out to bat when the ninth wicket fell, but he could not take his team over the line. The match also saw Amit Mishra soar to third place in the list of all-time highest wicket-takers in the IPL with his two wickets in the first innings. With 172 scalps to his name, Mishra now sits just behind Yuzvendra Chahal (178) and Dwayne Bravo (183). After the match, some heated exchanges broke out between Virat Kohli and LSG’s Naveen-ul-Haq and their mentor Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir had to be separated from Kohli as the duo reignited their famous face-off in the IPL 10 years ago. 'Huge Respect' Netizens Laud KL Rahul for Walking Out to Bat Despite Injury During LSG vs RCB IPL 2023 Match.

LSG vs RCB IPL 2023 Stat Highlights

#Amit Mishra became the third-highest wicket-taker in IPL (172 wickets).

#He is the second most successful spinner in the IPL.

#RCB defended their second-lowest total in IPL (127)

#LSG registered their second-lowest total in IPL (106)

#RCB have taken four wickets inside the powerplay this season thrice. No other team has done it.

Royal Challengers Bangalore, with this win under difficult circumstances, will look to carry this momentum ahead when they take on Delhi Capitals on May 6. Lucknow Super Giants, on the other hand, will need to regroup and bounce back when they host Chennai Super Kings. A lot of focus would be on KL Rahul’s availability, with today’s stand-in captain Krunal Pandya stating that the right-hander might have pulled his hip-flexor muscle.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 02, 2023 02:28 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).