Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) is one of the teams that have a fair chance of qualifying for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 playoffs. Even though they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday (May 5), they are still favorites to make it into the top four.
Lucknow Super Giants did not have a great performance in the game against Kolkata Knight Riders. They were dominated in all three phases of the match by the Shreyas Iyer-led side and suffered a massive 98-run defeat at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.
The Lucknow Super Giants initially didn’t do particularly well with the ball. Their bowlers were taken to the cleaners and they ended up conceding 235 runs, which was the highest ever total at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow in the history of T20s.
Naveen-ul-Haq picked three wickets with the ball and gave away 49 runs. Apart from Ravi Bishnoi, who returned with figures of 1/34, every other bowler had an economy of over 12, indicating poor bowling performance.
With the bat, Lucknow Super Giants didn’t get off to a good start as they lost Arshin Kulkarni early and then played the game of catch. Skipper KL Rahul (25) and Marcus Stoinis (36) tried to up the ante but failed after the start.
After that, Kolkata Knight Riders continued to pick wickets at regular intervals. Nicholas Pooran (10), Ayush Badoni (15) and Ashton Turner (16) lost their wickets as Lucknow Super Giants suffered a massive 98-run defeat in their last game at their home ground.
Lucknow Super Giants qualification scenario for IPL 2024 playoffs
The defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders was Lucknow Super Giants’ fifth defeat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. But even after the defeat, they are at the fifth position in the points table. The KL Rahul-led team has 6 wins and 12 points. But after their 98-run defeat, their NRR dropped to -0.371.
However, the Lucknow Super Giants are still in the playoff territory. If they manage to win the remaining three games, they will reach 18 points, which will ensure them qualification for the league’s playoffs and possibly even lead to them securing the top spot.
Even if they lose one game from the remaining three games, they will still be favorites to qualify with 16 points. They cannot afford to lose two of the remaining three games as this could potentially see them lose a place. If they lose two and win one, they reach a value of 14, which others can also reach and may miss out on due to the negative NRR. Therefore, their qualification for the IPL 2024 playoffs lies in their own hands. If they can do that, they will make it to the business end of the tournament for the third time in a row.