Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer Avesh Khan delivered under pressure with nerves of steel as he successfully defended nine runs in the final over against Rajasthan Royals (RR), sealing a thrilling 2-run win at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday.
His match-winning spell not only halted Rajasthan’s late charge but also reaffirmed LSG’s position in the top four of the IPL 2025 points table.
Avesh, who finished with figures of 3/37, was hit on the hand by the ball on the last delivery of the game, but even that couldn’t dampen his spirits. Despite the injury scare, he walked away with the ‘ Player of the Match’ award and an even higher sense of belief in his abilities.
“My hand is good; it (ball) hit my bone, I could not celebrate. I do not want to become Mitchell Starc; I just want to become a good Avesh Khan,” said the fast bowler during the post-match presentation, referencing the Australian pacer’s recent final-over heroics. “Yorker is my strength, and I try to execute it. I do not bowl, looking at the scorecard.”
"I will try to continue to bowl yorkers because I always think that yorker is my best ball. I always try to bowl a yorker in any situation. It's very important to back yourself in the IPL," said Avesh in the post-match press conference.
As the Royals were cruising towards a win when he came to bowl in the 18th over with eight wickets in hand, Avesh said he was not tense because this.
"I try to focus on execution. When I take the ball on the field, I never get tense. Whatever ball I am going to bowl, I will back it 100%."
"There have been so many high-scoring games in the IPL. The bowlers are getting hit for many runs. In the first over, I also went for 13 runs. But, I always think what is the game demanding? What is the wicket demanding? So, I was focusing on my execution," he added.
Earlier, after being put to bat first, LSG posted a competitive 180/5 thanks to solid knocks from Aiden Markram (66 off 45), Ayush Badoni (50 off 34), and a fiery cameo from Abdul Samad (30* off 10). Wanindu Hasaranga was the pick of the bowlers for RR with 2/31.
In response, RR looked in control for large parts of the chase. Yashasvi Jaiswal led the charge with a composed 74 off 52, stitching together partnerships with debutant Vaibhav Suryavanshi (34) and stand-in skipper Riyan Parag (39). But it all came down to the final over where Avesh’s disciplined yorkers and calm under pressure denied RR the win. They ultimately fell short by two runs, suffering their sixth defeat in eight matches.
LSG, now with five wins from eight games, sit comfortably in fourth place while RR’s slump continues, leaving them at eighth.
His match-winning spell not only halted Rajasthan’s late charge but also reaffirmed LSG’s position in the top four of the IPL 2025 points table.
Avesh, who finished with figures of 3/37, was hit on the hand by the ball on the last delivery of the game, but even that couldn’t dampen his spirits. Despite the injury scare, he walked away with the ‘ Player of the Match’ award and an even higher sense of belief in his abilities.
“My hand is good; it (ball) hit my bone, I could not celebrate. I do not want to become Mitchell Starc; I just want to become a good Avesh Khan,” said the fast bowler during the post-match presentation, referencing the Australian pacer’s recent final-over heroics. “Yorker is my strength, and I try to execute it. I do not bowl, looking at the scorecard.”
"I will try to continue to bowl yorkers because I always think that yorker is my best ball. I always try to bowl a yorker in any situation. It's very important to back yourself in the IPL," said Avesh in the post-match press conference.
As the Royals were cruising towards a win when he came to bowl in the 18th over with eight wickets in hand, Avesh said he was not tense because this.
"I try to focus on execution. When I take the ball on the field, I never get tense. Whatever ball I am going to bowl, I will back it 100%."
"There have been so many high-scoring games in the IPL. The bowlers are getting hit for many runs. In the first over, I also went for 13 runs. But, I always think what is the game demanding? What is the wicket demanding? So, I was focusing on my execution," he added.
Earlier, after being put to bat first, LSG posted a competitive 180/5 thanks to solid knocks from Aiden Markram (66 off 45), Ayush Badoni (50 off 34), and a fiery cameo from Abdul Samad (30* off 10). Wanindu Hasaranga was the pick of the bowlers for RR with 2/31.
In response, RR looked in control for large parts of the chase. Yashasvi Jaiswal led the charge with a composed 74 off 52, stitching together partnerships with debutant Vaibhav Suryavanshi (34) and stand-in skipper Riyan Parag (39). But it all came down to the final over where Avesh’s disciplined yorkers and calm under pressure denied RR the win. They ultimately fell short by two runs, suffering their sixth defeat in eight matches.
LSG, now with five wins from eight games, sit comfortably in fourth place while RR’s slump continues, leaving them at eighth.
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