As it happened: Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2022

Faf du Plessis equalled his highest IPL score with a supremely paced innings of 96 from 64 balls, as Royal Challengers Bangalore restated their top-of-the-table credentials with an emphatic 18-run victory over fellow high-fliers Lucknow Super Giants.

On a high-kicking surface at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, RCB overcame the loss of two wickets in the first over of the match to post a competitive total of 181 for 6, which was then put into context by a supreme display of seam bowling from Josh Hazlewood, who picked off a wicket in each of his overs for figures of 4 for 25.

Though Lucknow challenged through a hard-hitting knock of 42 from 28 balls from Krunal Pandya, they lost wickets at all-too-frequent intervals, and when Marcus Stoinis fell in frustrated circumstances with 34 needed from the final two overs, their challenge fell away, despite two final-overs sixes from Jason Holder.

Drama at the death, as a moment of mild controversy probably seals the contest for RCB. With 34 needed from 12 deliveries, Marcus Stoinis versus his fellow Aussie Josh Hazlewood was the crucial match-up. First-ball, Stoinis shimmied to the off-side, and was denied a wide as Hazlewood saw him coming and pushed the ball out of his reach. Stoinis grinned at the umpire, Chris Gaffaney, but through very gritted teeth. And one ball later, his frustration exploded. Once again he moved to the off-side, but over-compensated due to the previous ball, and was bowled off his pads for 24 from 15. A very loud expletive ensued. And that is probably that...

It's looking like Stoinis or bust now for Lucknow, with Ayush Badoni getting unpicked by the old-pro seam and pace of Josh Hazlewood. With a consistent wide line outside off, the knuckleball does the trick as Badoni swings into a cut but only snicks an edge through to the keeper.

How crucial will this moment be? Krunal Pandya had been the source of all of Lucknow's momentum, but back comes Maxwell for his second over of the evening, and he strikes the crucial blow. A lusty pull to wide long-on, but it doesn't have the legs as Shabhaz steadies himself well. He'd picked off a fifth four from Maxwell's first ball of the over, but that's as good as it gets. At 109 for 5, it's over to Marcus Stoinis to take up the cudgels, alongside the precocious Ayush Badoni.

Krunal Pandya is starting to crunch his strokes, as the dew potentially begins to play into the chaser's hands. By the end of the 12th over, he had reached 38 from 22, with four fours and two sixes - the pick of them a savage extension of the arms, over long-off off Wanindu Hasaranga.

Deepak Hooda might have added another six two balls later, but for a heroic intercept from du Plessis at long-on, who clawed the ball back into play while flinging himself into the advertising hoardings. Instead, he soon departed for 13 from 14, having also survived a confident appeal for a stumping off Shabhaz. Soon afterwards, he sliced an uppercut to third man off Siraj, where Prabhudessai took a fine catch, sliding in from the rope.

A massive moment in this contest. KL Rahul has gone for 30, strangled down the leg side by Harshal Patel, but only sent on his way after a belated call for a review. A thin spike on UltraEdge confirms the news, and stymies a passage of play in which Lucknow were just starting to get the measure of their chase.

Patel's spell hadn't started auspiciously. Krunal Pandya panned his first ball for four through extra cover, and after a Rahul cut to the boundary in the same over, he had followed up with a ghastly bouncer that sailed so high over the keeper's head for five wides. The follow-up wasn't much better, short and leg-sided, but crucially there was a tiny feather of bat as the ball zipped through. A lot now rests on Pandya, who quickly responded with a vast six over long-on off Shabhaz.

A proper Test-match wicket from a proper Test-match bowler! This pitch is offering pace, bounce and movement, and Quinton de Kock has no answer to a beautiful length, pushed across his left-handed bows and kissing the edge through to Glenn Maxwell at slip - who does well to concentrate as Karthik threatens to dive across him. He's gone for 3 from five balls, as Hazlewood strikes with his fifth ball, in the third over of the powerplay.

Manesh Pandey could have gone one over later, but with no slip in place to the left-arm spin of Shabhaz Ahmed, he picked off an edged four through third man instead. But no matter. Hazlewood simply rumbled in for his second over, and induced a weak pull to midwicket for 6.

It's 96 and out for Faf du Plessis, for the second time in his IPL career! A slower ball from Jason Holder, charged with locking up the 20th over of the innings, and it does the trick, as Marcus Stoinis steadies himself at backward square - the same position in which he had dropped Dinesh Karthik in the very same over. It was due reward for the excellent Holder, whose figures of 2 for 25 did not flatter him. But with a total of 181 for 6, du Plessis's captain's innings has given his side a total to defend. That said, with Avish Khan's previous over going for seven runs, that's just 11 from overs 19 and 20.

"I was just trying to use the dimensions of the ground and it paid off," says Holder.

Much had been made in the build-up of Ravi Bishnoi's potential to derail Dinesh Karthik's remarkable form, but in the event, he didn't get a chance to bowl him a single delivery. An off-colour night's work is completed with a 14-run final over, and overall figures of 0 for 47, as du Plessis lays into his offerings to march into the 90s. Bowling his googlies towards the longer leg-side boundary, he was expertly picked off for three twos and two fours, one slammed through midwicket, the other threaded through backward point. This has been a magnificent show of acceleration, for a man who has now reached the 90s three times in the IPL, but hasn't yet gone past 96.

Shabhaz Ahmed is run out for 26 from 22, after being sent back by du Plessis, and thus ends an important fifth-wicket stand of 70, spanning eight overs. The slog overs are fully up and running now, with du Plessis scudding a four and a six through long-on off Pandya. So what better time to welcome the in-form DK to the crease?

Wickets have been chipped away at the other end, but Faf du Plessis is showing what is possible on this surface with a well-crafted half-century. He's picked off six fours and a six in the process, the latter a stand-and-deliver spank down the ground off Ravi Bishnoi to move to 49. One ball after tucking the landmark single to midwicket, Bishnoi might have made the breakthrough as Shabhaz Ahmed was lured into a hack back down the ground, but Bishnoi himself couldn't make the ground, sprinting back towards long-off.

Holder's hit-the-deck attributes are just the ticket for this springy surface. It's not until the final ball of his second over that RCB truly get the measure of his methods, as du Plessis continues his quietly crucial knock with a violent pull from outside off through wide long-on.

Two mild matters of concern for Lucknow. Their captain KL Rahul appeared to clutch his hamstring while bailing out of a chase through long-off, before Quinton de Kock is left clutching his back after stretching to reach an outswinging wide from Holder.

He might well prove crucial in quietening the dangerous DK later in the innings, but Ravi Bishnoi's first over of the evening is tonked for 15 mostly self-inflicted runs. It starts quietly enough, but a massive no-ball gifts a free-hit that Prabhudessai lumps for six over long-off, before Rahul lets a final-ball drive from du Plessis skim through his fingers in the covers for four.

But Prabhudessai's evening doesn't get better than that six. Fresh from his catch, Holder's lanky limbs are back in action in more conventional fashion, as he hits a springy deck hard, to induce a limp leading-edge to short midwicket as Prabhudessai gives the big man the charge. RCB are 62 for 4, and struggling for a toe-hold.

What's the last thing you want to see at backward point when you've inverted your stance to blaze into a reverse-sweep? Jason Holder's 6'8" limbs at full stretch would probably be up there. Maxwell's cameo ends at 23 from 11 balls as Krunal Pandya strikes in his second over. The powerplay ends at 47 for 3.

It's a less-than-ideal scenario for Glenn Maxwell to arrive, but he's got previous in rebuilding RCB's innings in this campaign - his 55 from 34 balls against Delhi came after Rawat and du Plessis fell inside the first three overs.

This time, however, it's that third over that is his launchpad. After du Plessis's flash through backward point picks off a first-ball four to dent Chameera's figures, Maxwell munches the final three balls of the over for 4, 4, 6 - the final shot a huge launch over midwicket as he rocks back as if pre-meditating the short ball.

There's pace and bounce in this surface - it'd be fun to watch a Test match play out on it, to be honest. And there's plenty reward for bat-flinging to be had.

In a change from RCB's usual approach, Anuj Rawat faces the first ball of their innings, with the skipper Faf du Plessis leaning on his bat handle at the other end... but before Faf can even face his first ball, Dushmantha Chameera rips out two in his over, including Virat Kohli for a first-ball duck, and Lucknow are feeling lucky now!

Perhaps it's partially a consequence of KL Rahul's decision to switch the end for his opening over - with a lop-sided boundary, he perhaps wants the longer 78-metre leg-side to defend in the 20th over. Either way, Rawat picks off a fourth-ball four with a smash through the line, but then scuffs the fuller length to a diving Rahul at mid-off. After a replay, it's confirmed his fingers are under the ball.

And then, one ball later, stunned silence around the DY Patil, as Chameera drags back a hard length, finds a hint of away movement, and lures a loose glide to point as Kohli seeks to put bat through ball from the outset. Hooda swallows the chance, and Kohli's torrid campaign continues - 41*, 12, 5, 48, 1, 12 and 0 are his scores to date.

Lucknow Super Giants have won the toss and they will bowl first.

"At this stage, all teams would like to bowl first and know what they are chasing," KL Rahul says. "Same team." Can't say fairer than that.

RCB are also unchanged, and would also have bowled first, says Faf du Plessis. "Some of our guys are in amazing form, which is always good," he adds. Which is, indeed, good.

Royal Challengers Bangalore 1 Faf du Plessis (capt), 2 Anuj Rawat, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Suyash Prabhudessai, 7 Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Josh Hazlewood, 10 Harshal Patel, 11 Mohammed Siraj

Lucknow Super Giants 1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Deepak Hooda, 5 Ayush Badoni, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Ravi Bishnoi