Match overview
Rajasthan Royals beat Lucknow Super Giants by 7 wickets at BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium on 27 April 2024, chasing down 197 with three wickets to spare. Lucknow posted 196/5, a total built largely in the middle overs where they accumulated 104 runs for one wicket. It was not enough. Rajasthan's top order came out swinging, scoring 60 in the powerplay for the loss of just one wicket, and the Royals never really looked like losing from that point. Sanju Samson took the Player of the Match award.
Lucknow's innings had a familiar shape: a cautious enough powerplay of 46 runs at the cost of two wickets, followed by a significant middle-phase resurgence, before the death overs yielded 46 for two. The total was competitive by Ekana standards, sitting 19 runs above the venue's average first-innings score of 177. On another night it might have been enough.
Rajasthan, though, were in no mood to grind. They finished with 55 death-over runs without conceding a wicket in that phase, a figure well clear of Ekana's death-overs average of 40. The win extended their head-to-head lead over Lucknow to four wins from six meetings.
Venue and conditions
Ekana has hosted 44 T20 matches and has established a clear personality over that time. The average first-innings score of 177 and average second-innings score of 157 suggest a surface that tends to deteriorate across 40 overs, rewarding teams who bat first and post totals in the 190s. Lucknow did exactly that here.
The toss picture at Ekana is notable. Sides winning the toss have chosen to field 68 per cent of the time, and chasing sides have gone on to win 53 per cent of matches. Neither figure is overwhelming, but the trend is consistent enough that conditions here tend to favour the team able to assess a target and accelerate accordingly. Rajasthan's powerplay average in this match of 60 runs, against a venue average of 47, illustrates just how well they read the chase.
The death overs at this ground typically average 40 runs per innings. Rajasthan's 55 without losing a wicket in the final phase was the defining passage of play. Lucknow's bowlers could not contain a Royals batting order that clearly had the range and intent to close out the game at pace.
How to watch
IPL fixtures are broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket. Subscribers can stream matches via Sky Go, and non-subscribers can purchase access through a NOW TV day pass without committing to a full Sky package. Match times vary depending on the Indian broadcast schedule, but most IPL evening games in India start at 19:30 IST, which translates to 14:00 BST or 15:00 BST during the relevant period of the UK calendar.
Recent form
Going into this match, Rajasthan Royals were in strong form, having won four of their previous five IPL 2024 outings. Wins over Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore sat alongside a single defeat against Gujarat Titans. That record reflected a side with confidence across batting and bowling departments.
Lucknow Super Giants' recent run was patchier. They had beaten Chennai Super Kings twice in their previous five matches, and picked up a win against Gujarat Titans, but losses to Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals raised questions about their consistency. Those defeats, combined with the head-to-head deficit against Rajasthan, painted a picture of a side searching for reliability at both ends of the innings. The Ekana crowd gave them vocal support throughout, but on this occasion Rajasthan were simply the more composed side from the first over of the chase onwards.
