Lucknow Super Giants paid 25 times more than his base price of Rs 20 lakh to get Avesh Khan’s services in IPL-15. The move was worth it as his excellent bowling acted as the catalyst for his team’s 12-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Monday.
Heading into the lucrative T20 league as the most expensive uncapped Indian player, Avesh picked up four big wickets for only 24 runs and bowled a brilliant 18th over to turn the match decisively in LSG’s favour.
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Asked to bat first, skipper KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda struck useful half-centuries to lift Lucknow Super Giants to 169 for seven after a disastrous start.
“The plan always is how I can pick up wickets in the power play and slog overs. I wanted to bowl the slower ball (Williamson dismissal) because we felt that the ball was gripping and holding on the surface. The plan is to always bowl dots and try to hit the yorker length. I always get a lot of support from the captain and support staff, and want bowl with the same rhythm,” Khan said.
Chasing 170, Kane Williamson’s (16) innovation brought him two fours and a six but he paid the price for going overboard, his ramp shot off Avesh finding a sliding Andrew Tye at short fine leg in the fourth over with SRH score reading 25 for one.
Avesh brought about Abhishek Sharma’s downfall with a change in pace as the batter failed to read it while trying to loft him.
As Sharma made his way back to the dugout, last-game’s half centurion Aiden Markram walked out to join Rahul Tripathi in the middle, and the two began rebuilding the SRH innings.
Placed at 51 for two at the end of the seventh over, Tripathi used Tye’s pace to hit the Australian bowler for three fours and then, using his wrists, smashed Krunal Pandya (2/27) for a six over fine leg. A quite 10th over was, however, followed by the dismissal of Markram, the bowler being Krunal.
Going strong at 44 off 30 balls, Tripathi tried to slog sweep Krunal and hit straight to deep mid-wicket, where Ravi Bishnoi was stationed. Nicholas Pooran smashed Krunal over long-on for six and then carted Jason Holder (3/34) for 15 runs to bring the equation down to 50 form the last 30 balls.
(With agencies)
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