Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India] - April 20: After a nail-biting match against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) bowler Avesh Khan expressed relief about his hand after it was struck by the ball during the final delivery of the innings. His impressive performance, which included taking three wickets and successfully defending nine runs in the last over, led LSG to a narrow two-run victory at Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday.

In the post-match interview, Avesh shared, “My hand is fine; the ball hit my bone, so I couldn’t celebrate. I aspire to be a good Avesh Khan rather than a Mitchell Starc,” referencing Starc's previous performance against RR. He emphasized that executing yorkers is his forte and that he doesn’t focus on the scorecard while bowling.

In the match, LSG won the toss and chose to bowl first. Key contributions came from Aiden Markram, who scored 66 runs off 45 balls, and Ayush Badoni, who added 50 runs from 34 balls. Abdul Samad also made a quick 30 runs off just 10 balls, helping LSG reach a total of 180/5 in their allotted overs.

For RR, Wanindu Hasaranga was the standout bowler, taking 2 wickets for 31 runs. Chasing 181 runs, RR started strong with an 85-run partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal and debutant Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who scored 34 runs off 20 balls. Jaiswal went on to score 74 runs off 52 balls, but despite a solid effort, RR fell short, losing by two runs in the final over, marking their sixth defeat of the season.

Currently, RR sits at the eighth position with only two wins from eight matches, while LSG is in fourth place with five victories and three losses. Avesh Khan was awarded the 'Player of the Match' for his outstanding performance.