GT was beaten by LSG by 33 runs.
For the first time in their brief existence, the Lucknow Super Giants overcame the Gujarat Titans. With the bat, Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran contributed, while Yash Thakur’s outstanding five-for in the second innings helped Lucknow win the game by 33 runs. Notably, the hosts had a rough start to the game as Quinton de Kock was out in the opening over while KL Rahul, the captain, and Devdutt Padikkal found it difficult to get going for much of the duration.
But Stoinis’ outstanding half-century saved them, while Pooran’s outstanding cameo of 32* runs off 22 deliveries enabled Lucknow score 163 runs. Umesh Yadav, one of the GT bowlers, was outstanding during the powerplay, taking two wickets, and Darshan Nalkande claimed a pair during the middle overs.
Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill appeared to be in fantastic form when it came to chasing, but the captain was unable to build on the momentum. Sai scored 31 runs in the midst before he left for 19 runs. After that, GT was eliminated from the race after drivers including Vijay Shankar, Nalkande, Kane Williamson, and Sharath were unable to get moving. Rahul Tewatia attempted a Rahul Tewatia towards the finish but was unable to lead the squad home this time. Yash Thakur of LSG was outstanding with the ball, scoring a five-for to stop GT’s momentum.
Also Read: Yash Thakur’s biography.
- KL Rahul still has a problem with the strike rate
KL Rahul declared ahead of the IPL 2024 that he would do all in his power to be included in the Indian side for the next T20 World Cup. Rahul had a fantastic chance to make a compelling argument since Yashasvi Jaiswal was out of form, but his strike rate is still a big problem. The LSG captain scored 33 runs off of 31 deliveries against GT, which is alarming to say the least because of his strike rate of 106.45.
- Pooran and Stoinis’s brute force
There was pressure on Stoinis after a rocky start, particularly as Rahul was having difficulty as well. The Australian international played the situation and remained composed before picking his speed. In the end, he scored 58 runs off of 43 deliveries, which was a major factor in them reaching a respectable total. And kudos to Pooran, who crushed it near the finish. This year, he has been in amazing form, which is encouraging for the team.
- The five-for Yash Thakur
Although the injury to Mayank Yadav might have worried the LSG camp, Yash Thakur rose to the situation and delivered a masterpiece. Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, and Noor Ahmed were among the important wickets he claimed. As a result of his outstanding performance, LSG won easily. He’s been a huge asset to the team since Mayank’s absence. However, while they split four wickets, spinners Krunal Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi were equally outstanding.
See Also: Watch Ravi Bishnoi’s amazing grab to get rid of Kane Williamson
Shubman Gill, the outgoing captain, said:
It was a good wicket to bat on, a poor batting performance by us. We got a decent start, but we lost wickets in the middle and couldn’t recover from that. Our bowlers were exceptional as they restricted them to 160-odd, just that our batters let us down. (On missing David Miller) Miller is a kind of a player who can change a game in a couple of overs, because I think this total was very gettable for us. (On his dismissal) I thought it was the last over of the powerplay and I just wanted to make the most of it, just that I missed that ball as I tried to play a bit too square. It was tremendous to watch our bowlers bowl, we were looking forward to restricting them around 160-165.
KL Rahul, the winning captain, said:
We’ll take the win, I am not going to make too much out of it. For the young bowling unit we have, it helps when we bat first. They get an idea how the wicket is playing and they’ve also been adapting really well. It’s a good record to have (defending all 160+ totals), but it’s also where we’ve played. Having the home advantage helps. The bowlers have come through the ranks over the last couple of years. you have seen the same guys bowling in the last season as well., They have adjusted to their roles. Hopefully we can continue this. We knew that it wasn’t as good as the wicket we played on (in the previous match here), also losing two wickets in the powerplay will set us back a bit. Unless someone carries on to get 70-80, it was tough to achieve that 170-180. We just wanted to bat and see how much we can get. That’s the advantage you have when you are batting first. All three spinners have been key for us. Sid coming in this season has done really well, he plays a crucial part with the new ball, he’s shown great temperament. His job is to restrict the batters. KP is very experienced, he’s played IPL for so many seasons. Bishnoi has been around for so many years and keeps getting better. Feels good to get off the mark there (first win vs GT).
Yash Thakur, POTM, stated:
Happy with this five-wicket haul and Man of the Match. I had planned against Gill, I stuck to my plan, KL Rahul had advised me to do so and it paid off. Unfortunately Mayank Yadav got injured, so KL said it was my day and asked me to make the most of it. We are winning the first game against GT in IPL history, very happy with it. Really enjoyed Gill’s wicket, the most memorable of all.
