KL Rahul and Ravi Bishnoi - rejected by BCCI, revered by Lucknow

When Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were forged in 2022, they had a special provision along with fellow newbies Gujarat Titans (GT), much like a seed fund for a start-up company. The new franchises had the option to rope in three players from the pool of players who were not retained by the other franchises.

Choosing the right players was crucial as it would end up being the core of the team, around which the entire squad would be built. LSG and GT were arguably spoilt for choices since there were countless possibilities and combinations on offer.

GT chose to rope in Hardik Pandya as their captain and picked up two flashy names in the form of Shubman Gill and Rashid Khan. LSG, however, went another way. KL Rahul's acquisition was no surprise, considering he was one of the most natural run scorers, a leadership and wicketkeeping option as well. However, many were surprised with their other two picks - Ravi Bishnoi and Marcus Stoinis.

Back then Bishnoi had a couple of promising IPL seasons under his belt while Stoinis was inconsistent and looking lost in the shortest format. While both are exceptional players, but no one imagined them to be first picks for a franchise, that arguably had almost all of the world in their hands for a while.

A couple of years later, the core still stands intact, with all three having had some or the other role to play and being certified match winners. They have repaid the trust LSG placed on them, and are fan favorites as well.

Hours before LSG returned to winning ways, Team India had announced their squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Both KL Rahul and Ravi Bishnoi failed to find a place in the initial 15-member squad or even among the traveling reserves after losing the race to Sanju Samson and Yuzvendra Chahal, respectively.

KL Rahul is still among one of the top wicket-keeper batters in the country across formats while Bishnoi is the second highest-ranked bowler in the T20I charts. Several factors were in play behind their omission, some within their control, and some not. But regardless of how they are seen from the Indian team management's perspective, they will always be enthroned by Lucknow.

'Our No.1 since Day 1' and 'Starboy', were the captions for the posts tweeted by LSG right after Team India's squad was announced, and the same sentiment was echoed by the Ekana in the evening as well.

Bishnoi and Rahul's efforts were appreciated by the crowd, who marked their presence with numerous cutouts and charts. The leg spinner, having had a forgettable IPL so far, responded in some style. A brilliant direct hit to run out Tilak Varma at a crucial stage, and a spell of 1-28 with Ishan Kishan's wicket ensured a productive outing on the field.

KL Rahul looked brilliant during his short stint at the crease but was dismissed after a brilliant catch by Mohammad Nabi in the deep. Although it would have been ideal for him to stay even longer, in a way, he had done his job.

It was crucial to get a move on in the powerplay based on how difficult batting would get as the match progressed. Rahul and Stoinis' efforts, after an early wicket, saw LSG post 52 runs in the powerplay, which proved to be extremely crucial in hindsight.

Rahul's 22-ball 28-run knock was certainly not his best display, but it was still appreciated by the LSG faithful. Isn't that what unconditional love is, and shouldn't those be the standards?

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LSG came close to experiencing a deja vu, a nightmare, and a hiccup all at once

Close to one year ago, LSG were chasing a 136-run target against a Hardik Pandya-led side at the Ekana Stadium and were cruising at 106-1 in the 15th over. In the blink of an eye, GT put up relentless pressure with wickets, and LSG ended up losing the clash by seven runs. Those two points ultimately became the difference between the second and the third place.

Lightning was close to striking twice, as LSG found themselves in an unwelcome but familiar situation. Once again it was a Hardik Pandya-led side, once again it was a meager total in front and the same turbulence hit them.

From reaching the 100-run total with eight wickets in hand in pursuit of the 145-run target, LSG soon found themselves trapped. Stoinis' wicket, Bumrah, and Thushara's tight overs, and Turner's dismissal started sending jitters in the LSG camp.

The equation was down to 22 runs in 16 balls. In the modern era, even the lower order is expected to get that, but it is easier written than done. Badoni diffused a lot of pressure with consecutive hits, but his controversial run-out dismissal once again brought the LSG faithful to the edge of their seats.

It seemed almost fitting that Pooran, whose seven-ball one-run knock and ugly swipe which triggered LSG's collapse in 2023, was there till the end to finish things off this time around.

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Ekana trying its best to stand out and embrace tradition over modernity

There is an entire legion of fans, although well in the minority now, who relish low-scoring thrillers. Perhaps such matches being a trend is not healthy for the game, but in the current scenario, it is the perfect contrast and a necessary one at that.

When the game had entered a tricky phase where LSG were losing wickets towards the end, a comment from the broadcast team summed the entire situation up - 'Who said you need 250 runs to enjoy a cricket game?'

In a way the low-scoring (by modern standards) thriller between LSG and MI was a throwback to the old times. Ekana has been the sole portal to the past in the IPL, with its long boundaries and sporting pitches, making it one of the few places that bowlers actually want to come and bowl.

The balance between bat and ball, which unfortunately has turned into a plea or demand rather than normalcy, has been witnessed at the Ekana potentially more than any other venue in the IPL this season.

Remaining in the corridor of 160-200 scores, the matches at the venue have had everything for everybody, except for the book cricket fanatics.