Indian T20 League 2022: Top 10 memes from Lucknow vs Punjab game

Lucknow registered their 6^th win in the Indian T20 League 2022 after beating Punjab by 20 runs on Friday at Maharashtra Cricket Stadium. On a slow pitch where the ball wasn’t coming on nicely to the bat, Lucknow managed to score 153 runs in the first innings. Skipper, KL Rahul, who scored a century in the last game, got out cheaply off Kagiso Rabada in the 3^rd over of the innings.

However, Quinton de Kock and Deepak Hooda led a remarkable recovery as the duo added 85 runs for the second wicket. Though, neither of them could go on to score a big knock for the side. Sandeep Sharma accounted for the wicket of Quinton de Kock (46 off 37) in the 13^th over and it led to a severe collapse. Deepak Hooda (34 off 28) got run-out in the very next over, while the likes of Krunal Pandey, Marcus Stoinis and Ayush Badoni failed to hit the straps.

Kagiso Rabada and Rahul Chahar ran through Lucknow’s batting unit as they slipped from 98 for 2 to 126 for 7. However, crucial contributions from Chameera and Mohsin Khan in the last few overs helped the team reach a competitive score of 153 in the first innings. For Punjab, Kagiso Rabada starred with the ball as he picked 4 wickets for 38 runs in 4 overs. Rahul Chahar (2 for 30) also returned with impressive figures.

In pursuit of the target, Mayank Agarwal gave the team a solid start. He hit 2 four and 2 sixes and was looking good in the middle but, unfortunately, hit a well-timed shot straight to the man at mid-on in the 5^th over after scoring 25 runs in 17 balls. At the other end, Shikhar Dhawan struggled to get his timing right. He wasn’t able to play freely was eventually out bowled by Ravi Bishnoi in the 7^th over of the innings. Another in-form batsman, Bhanuka Rajapaksa also departed early in the 8^th over to leave the team reeling at 58 for 3 in 8 overs.

Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone tried to build a partnership as they added 30 runs for the fourth wicket. However, the latter, too failed to convert the start into a big score. Jitesh Sharma followed him in the next over, thanks to a beautiful delivery from Krunal Pandya.

Punjab had some hopes alive till Jonny Bairstow was there at the crease. However, Chameera ended his stay in the 16^th over to help the team take full control of the game. The Englishman made valiant 32 off 28 balls but couldn’t take the team over the line. In the end, Punjab fell 20 runs short of the target. With that, they have now suffered their fifth defeat this season and have slipped to number seven on the points table.

Here’s a look at 10 best memes from the 42^nd match between Punjab and Lucknow: