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Bought for his base price of Rs 20 lakh, Ayush Badoni is quickly establishing himself as one of the best purchases from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 auction. The young batter from Delhi has produced some mature performances, and his skipper KL Rahul lauded the right-handed batter for his calm demeanor after he guided Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to victory over Delhi Capitals (DC).
“He (Badoni) has held his nerve every time he has gone into bat and he's delivered for us under pressure. Great learning for him, important for him to keep working hard and stay humble. Been a complete team effort so far. The way everyone has stepped up has been brilliant,” said Rahul in the post-match presentation ceremony.
In the final over of the game, LSG needed five runs from the last five balls. Badoni came onto the field after Shardul Thakur dismissed Deepak Hooda off the first ball. With a huge responsibility hanging on his shoulders, the 22-year-old showed nerves of steel and scored 10 runs in three balls to win the contest for his side. Badoni decided to leave the first ball alone. But in the next two deliveries, he slammed a four and a six to wrap up the chase in style.
Earlier, Rahul had given the youngster the nickname “Baby AB” for his 360-degree strokeplay.
"He's baby AB. He has been phenomenal from the first day. For a little boy, he packs a punch and plays 360 degrees, so happy for him as he grabbed the opportunity. It was not ideal for him to walk out with us four down but he did well under pressure and hopefully, he can continue doing that,” the LSG skipper said after the match against Gujarat Titans (GT).
With the win over Delhi, Lucknow have now climbed to second in the IPL 2022 points table, ahead of Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Hardik Pandya-led GT. They also have the same number of points (6) as current league leaders Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
