A memorable inaugural season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) last year finished with heartbreak in the Eliminator, but our boys gave it their all! It was a season of ups and downs, but also featured multiple glorious moments.

KL Rahul (616 runs) and Quinton de Kock (508 runs) were among the top three run-scorers in the tournament, while pacers Avesh Khan and Mohsin Khan returned with 32 wickets between them. Deepak Hooda’s renaissance (451 runs) made us all ecstatic and Ayush Badoni’s emergence filled us with promise. Marcus Stoinis’ nerve-wracking final overs, Ravi Bishnoi’s googlies, and the list goes on and on.

It is indeed difficult to pin a few memories from such an exciting debut season, but here’s a list of our top five moments from IPL 2022.

KKR vs LSG, Match 66 | Unbeaten opening stand, Lewis turns ‘Superman’

This match had way too many moments to remember for the Super Giants. Rinku Singh threatened to complete an improbable run chase for Kolkata Knight Riders and got the equation down to three needed in two deliveries. That’s when Evin Lewis ran a mile from point, dived forward and took a one-handed blinder to dismiss Rinku Singh, getting everybody out of their seats with their jaws dropped in the process.

Earlier that day, KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock recorded the highest opening partnership in IPL history, also becoming the first opening pair to bat the entire 20 overs in the tournament. QDK finished with 140 off 70 deliveries, the third best individual score in IPL.

LSG vs CSK, Match 7 | A special run chase to complete our first win

After a narrow defeat in our first-ever match in the IPL against Gujarat Titans, the LSG batting order had a mountain to climb. Chasing a target of 211 against Chennai Super Kings, the terrific KL-Quinton duo provided an ideal start, adding 99 runs for the first wicket. But the star of the night was Evin Lewis, who smashed 55 in just 23 balls as we recorded their first win in the IPL in some style.

PS: To this day, it is the fifth most successful run chase in the tournament.

LSG vs MI, Match 26 & 37 | Skipper KL’s twin tons against MI

Our skipper KL Rahul’s special love for the Mumbai Indians continued in new colours last season. He first scored 103 off 60 balls at Brabourne, followed it up with another ton (103 off 62 balls) at Wankhede a week later. On both occasions, LSG recorded a win and KL was named Player of the Match.

He now has three centuries against Mumbai Indians, who will brace themselves when these teams meet in 2023. 

DC vs LSG, Match 45 | Mohsin shines, Stoinis finishes

KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda’s fifties got us to 195/3 batting first against Delhi Capitals, but the opposition batters were up for the challenge as well. While all the other bowlers were conceding heavily, Mohsin Khan was bowling on a track of his own. The left-arm seamer returned with figures of 4/16 in a match that saw over 380 runs being scored to establish himself as one of the finest talents in the country.

Marcus Stoinis bowled a terrific final over to finish the match as we picked up a crucial six-run win.

SRH vs LSG, Match 12 | Avesh runs riot at the death

Sunrisers Hyderabad were cruising in run chase at the DY Patil Stadium. Nicholas Pooran and Rahul Tripathi were in firm control. But a terrific 18th over from Avesh Khan, where he dismissed Pooran and Abdul Samad in consecutive deliveries, turned the tide in our favour. Earlier in the match, he also dismissed skipper Kane Williamson and Abhishek Sharma, returning with figures of 4/24. 

Lucknow Super Giants will return soon with a few new faces and plenty of the old ones. We have made our mark in the tournament, and now it is time to bag silverware.