Kolkata: Rajat Patidar owned the big stage with a magnificent century as Royal Challengers Bangalore beat debutants Lucknow Super Giants by 14 runs in the IPL Eliminator on Wednesday. With this, Patidar became the first uncapped player in the history of Indian Premier League (IPL) to smash a century in the playoffs.
With this win, RCB will play against Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahemdabad on Friday for a place in the final against Gujarat Titans, while Lucknow’s journey ended following the defeat in Eden Gardens. It was a memorable day at the field for Patidar as he smashed an unbeaten 112 off just 54 to guide his side to a massive total of 207/4 at the end of their 20 overs. He also became the first player from his side to hit a century in the playoffs, surpassing Chris Gayle’s 89-run knock in the second qualifier against Mumbai Indians in the 2011 edition of the league.
Invited to bat, Patidar, the 28-year-old from Madhya Pradesh, produced an innings with an unbeaten 54-ball 112-run knock that had as many as 12 fours and 7 maximums to power RCB to a huge 207 for 4. In reply, skipper KL Rahul slammed a 58-ball 79 to keep Lucknow in the hunt but Josh Hazlewood (3/43) dealt a twin blow in the penultimate over as LSG finished at 193 for 6.
Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 207/4 (Rajat Patidar 112*, Dinesh Karthik 37*, Mohsin Khan 1/25) against Lucknow Super Giants 193/6 (KL Rahul 79, Deepak Hooda 45; Josh Hazlewood 3-43).
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