Quinton de Kock struck a sensational hundred and shared a record opening stand with skipper K L Rahul as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pipped Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by two runs in a last-ball IPL thriller to seal their play-off spot on Wednesday.
De Kock gave a batting masterclass enroute to an unbeaten 140 off 70 balls as he and Rahul (68 not out off 51) fired LSG to 210 for no loss, the highest opening stand in IPL history.
It was a steep chase but KKR stayed in the game through Nitish Rana (42) and captain Shreyas Iyer (50) but it was too big a task for the lower-order. Their innings ended 208 for eight in 20 overs.
Let's have a look at the IPL points table after LSG vs KKR clash:
Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans (GT), who qualified for IPL Playoff on Tuesday currently assume the top on the IPL 2022 points table while fellow debutants LSG are on the second spot on the table. RR, despite the loss, continue to be in third place while RCB takes the fourth place. DC is now fifth on the IPL 2022 points table. SRH has slipped to the sixth spot, while KKR is seventh. PBKS are now in eighth place with Chennai Super Kings ninth and Mumbai Indians tenth taking the last two spots.
| Team | Match | Win | Loss | Point | Net Run Rate |
| Gujarat Titans | 13 | 10 | 3 | 20 | +0.391 |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 14 | 9 | 5 | 18 | +0.251 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 13 | 8 | 5 | 16 | +0.304 |
| Delhi Capitals | 13 | 7 | 6 | 14 | +0.255 |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 13 | 7 | 6 | 14 | -0.323 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 14 | 6 | 8 | 12 | +0.146 |
| Punjab Kings | 13 | 6 | 7 | 12 | -0.043 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 13 | 6 | 7 | 12 | -0.230 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 13 | 4 | 9 | 8 | -0.206 |
| Mumbai Indians | 13 | 3 | 10 | 4 | -0.577 |
Orange Cap
Rajasthan Royals opener Jos Buttler is still leading the Orange Cap race this season with 627 runs in 13 innings to his name. KL Rahul managed to close down the gap between him and Buttler a bit with an unbeaten 68-run knock on Thursday. He has now scored 537 runs in 14 matches. While his opening partner Quinton de Kock also entered the big race with a scintillating 140*-run knock against KKR as he scored 502 runs in the league-stage of the tournament.
David Warner, who missed a couple of matches at the initial stage, is fourth at the list with 427 runs followed by Punjab Kings opener Shikhar Dhawan who has 421 runs under his kitty.
Purple Cap
RR leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal stands first amongst bowlers with 24 wickets so far. RCB spinner Wanindu Hasaranga stands second on the list with 23 scalps from 13 matches. Punjab pacer Kagiso Rabada has 22 dismissals and is third on the table. While Umran Malik who has been the talking point of this tournament is fourth on the list with 21 scalps. DC left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav has claimed 20 wickets this season and is placed fourth on the list of wicket-takers.
