KL Rahul notched up his second unbeaten ton against Mumbai Indians as he pummelled the opposition bowlers to steer Lucknow Super Giants to a competitive 199 for four at the Brabourne Stadium. The LSG skipper hit nine fours and five sixes to maintain his prolific record against the five-time champions. (Follow IPL 2022: MI vs LSG Live)
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He first added a 52-run stand with his opening partner Quinton de Kock and then put up 72 runs with Manish Pandey, who scored a 29-ball 38. A proven performer in the lucrative T20 league with three 600-plus seasons so far, Rahul was flawless during his stay at the crease. The Indian took on a listless MI bowling attack that failed to halt the scoring rate.
Rahul finished on 103 not out off just 60 deliveries to score his second IPL century while leading a side. He is now the second player after Virat Kohli to have more than one ton as a captain.
As Rahul reached the three-figure mark, he came up with his peculiar celebration, closing his eyes and blocking his ears. He had explained it during the ODI series versus England after scoring a ton in Pune.
"It (the celebration) is just to shut out the noise, not to disrespect anyone. There are people out there who try to pull you down, at times you need to neglect them. So that's just a message to shut out that noise. When I and Virat were batting, we needed anything around 300, so happy with this total," the Karnataka batter had said.
{{/usCountry}}"It (the celebration) is just to shut out the noise, not to disrespect anyone. There are people out there who try to pull you down, at times you need to neglect them. So that's just a message to shut out that noise. When I and Virat were batting, we needed anything around 300, so happy with this total," the Karnataka batter had said.
{{/usCountry}}Rahul now has got hundreds while leading different IPL teams. He also became the first Indian batter to have three unbeaten IPL centuries to his name. Chris Gayle heads the panel with four tons, followed by AB de Villiers and David Warner with three hundreds each.
Lucknow, led by Rahul, are third in the points table, looking to consolidate their position in the upper half. Mumbai, on the other hand, are looking to end five-game losing streak.