Can De Kock fire Lucknow Super Giants to IPL crown?
Quinton de Kock produced one of the finest innings in Indian Premier League history to guide Lucknow Super Giants into the 2022 playoffs after beating Kolkata Knight Riders. The South African scored the third-highest innings in IPL history, per BBC, with his knock of 140 not out, which was only beaten by Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum. De Kock shared a stand of 210 at the top of the order, which was the third-highest IPL partnership of all time and the best for the first wicket.
The efforts of De Kock were almost in vain as the Knight Riders came close to knocking off the 211 runs required as reported at News Update. Kolkata required three runs from the final ball after great striking from Rinku Singh and Sunil Narine brought them back into the game. However, Marcus Stoinis held his nerve to remove Singh and then Umesh Yadav with the final two balls of the innings.
Throughout his IPL career, De Kock has been a standout player in whatever role has been asked of him. It took three years after being selected at the IPL auction in 2013 for the South African to earn regular playing time, which he achieved with Delhi Daredevils in 2016 when he enjoyed a breakout season scoring 445 runs in 13 matches. During the campaign, De Kock notched his maiden IPL hundred to announce himself in the competition against Royal Challengers Bangalore and international team-mate AB de Villiers.
After missing the 2017 campaign, De Kock signed with RCB for the 2018 season, but could not dislodge McCullum from the line-up and he was restricted to only eight matches. Bangalore made the decision to part ways with the South African which proved to be a disaster for the franchise. The left-hander then signed with Mumbai Indians and went on to win two-straight IPL crowns per the official Olympics site. He was the Indians’ best player in the 2019 campaign, top-scoring with 529 runs before excelling once more in 2020 with another 500-run season.
Unsurprisingly, De Kock was snapped up for a significant fee at the 2022 IPL Super Auction by the Super Giants, and he has not disappointed. The 29-year-old has now notched his third season of 500 runs or more in four years, scoring three fifties along with his brilliant century. His experience will be crucial for the Super Giants in their bid to win the IPL crown in their inaugural season.
Lucknow have odds of 4.50 to win the crown at Betway, presenting them as third favourites for the title behind Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals. This is a significant indicator of the belief in De Kock’s abilities, as this Betway review describes the brand as one of the premier sportsbooks for cricket betting. So, if major brands believe that Lucknow are behind the Titans and the Royals in the race for the crown then it will be up to the Super Giants to rise up and prove a point, led by De Kock at the top of the order.
At the peak of his powers, the South African has demonstrated that he is one of the best batsmen in the tournament. Now he needs to deliver under pressure for his team under the spotlight of knockout cricket. De Kock scored important runs in Mumbai’s success in 2019 and 2020, and he will have to play a similar role for Lucknow to steer them to an incredible feat in their first IPL season.