Third-placed in table Lucknow Super Giants take on fourth-placed team Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Wednesday.
While KL Rahul-led LSG made it to the playoffs with a third-place finish in the league phase, RCB, captained by Faf du Plessis, finished fourth after a lot of drama towards the end.
Bangalore had ended their league stage with 16 points from 14 games but a poor net run rate meant they had to rely on the result of the Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians match. As DC lost the thrilling encounter and got restricted to 14 points from as many games, RCB marched into the playoffs.
RCB now play an Eliminator game against LSG, a team they had defeated by 18 runs when they met for the first time in the ongoing tournament at DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai on April 19, 2022. Two players – KL Rahul and Wanindu Hasaranga - from both sides will be the cynosure of all eyes when the sides face each other.
This is because Rahul with 537 runs is only behind leading run-scorer of the season Jos Buttler, while Hasaranga (24 wickets) is second on the list of leading wicket-takers.
HEAD TO HEAD
Royal Challengers Bangalore won: 1
Lucknow Super Giants won: 0
FIRST MEETING IN THIS SEASON
Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 18 runs at Mumbai.
FOR THE RECORD
**KL Rahul is the second-highest run-getter behind Jos Buttler in this IPL. He has scored 537 runs at an average of 48.81 and a strike rate of 135.26 in 14 innings of as many matches.
**Wanindu Hasaranga with 24 wickets at an average of 15.08 in 14 innings of as many matches, is the second leading wicket taker in this IPL behind Rajasthan Royals’ Yuzvendra Chahal.
ROAD TO ELIMINATOR
LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS - (Played: 14, Won: 9. Lost: 5)
**Lost to Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets at Wankhede
**Beat Chennai Super Kings by 6 wickets at Brabourne
**Beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 12 runs at DY Patil
**Beat Delhi Capitals by 6 wickes at DY Patil
**Lost to Rajastan Royals by 3 runs at Wankhede
**Beat Mumbai Indians by 18 runs at Brabourne
**Lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore by 18 runs at DY Patil
**Beat Mumbai Indians by 36 runs at Wankhede
**Beat Punjab Kings by 20 runs at Pune
**Beat Delhi Capitals by 6 runs at Wankhede
**Beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 75 runs at Pune
**Lost to Gujarat Titans by 75 runs at Pune
**Lost to Rajastan Royals by 24 runs at Brabourne
**Beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 2 runs at DY Patil
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE - (Played: 14, Won: 8. Lost: 6)
**Lost to Punjab Kings by 5 wickets at DY Patil
**Beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 3 wickets at DY Patil
**Beat Rajasthan Royals by 4 wickets at Wankhede
**Beat Mumbai Indians by 7 wickets at Pune
**Lost to Chennai Super Kings by 23 runs at DY Patil
**Beat Delhi Capitals by 16 runs ay Wankhede
**Beat Gujaray Super Giants by 18 runs at DY Patil
**Lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 9 wickets at Brabourne
**Lost to Rajasthan Royals by 29 runs at Pune
**Lost to Gujarat Titans by 6 wickets at Brabourne
**Beat Chennai Super Kings by 13 runs at Pune
**Beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 67 runs at Wankhede
**Lost to Punjab Kings by 54 runs at Brabourne
**Beat Gujarat Titans by 8 wickets at Wankhede
