Times News NetworkKanpur: Lucknow Falcons knocked Kanpur Superstars out of the UP T20 League title race after rain forced an early end to their match at Green Park Stadium on Monday evening. Falcons registered a 13-run victory under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method to complete their league campaign on a winning note.The Falcons finished with 13 points from 10 matches, winning six and losing three. Meerut Mavericks currently lead the points table with 15 points from nine matches and still have a final league game to play. The result, however, officially ended Kanpur Superstars’ hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.Put into bat, Lucknow Falcons made an aggressive start, scoring 11 runs from the opening over before heavy rain halted play for around 30 minutes.The match resumed without any reduction in overs, and openers Yashu Pradhan and Himanshu Singh continued the attack. The duo added 72 runs from just 43 balls, with Pradhan scoring 40 off 27 balls and Himanshu contributing 43 off 33.Kanpur bowlers fought back, triggering a collapse that saw Lucknow slip from 72 without loss to 96 for four. However, Priyam Garg and stand-in skipper Vipraj Nigam launched a late counter-attack. Garg remained unbeaten on 32 off 21 balls, while Nigam smashed an unbeaten 18 off just eight deliveries to help Falcons post 160 for five in 20 overs.Chasing 161, Kanpur Superstars struggled to gain momentum. Kanpur were reduced to 47 for four in 6.3 overs, with the crucial wicket of Sameer Rizvi denting their hopes.The DLS par score at the end of 10 overs was 81, leaving Kanpur 13 runs short. With persistent showers making further play impossible, the match was called off and Lucknow were declared 13-run winners under the DLS method.Kanpur Superstars will now play their final league match against Gorakhpur Lions later in the evening.
