In the 57th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, Gujarat Titans (GT) defeated Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 62 runs at the MCA Stadium in Pune.
Hardik Pandya won the toss and decided to bat first. Innings began quite slowly for GT as both the batsman were struggling to read the pitch. It was never going to be a high scoring contest given that the pitch was slow but this was read well by Shubman Gill (63) as he batted steadily throughout the inning. It was an important knock as only a batsman who got a start could take it forward. Gill’s fifty was the only big run that GT managed to get in the first innings as no other batsmen could find any runs. Contributions from Rahul Tewatia (22) and David Miller (26) added some valuable runs which took the Gujarat based team to a score of 144/4 in 20 overs.
In the chase, Lucknow Super Giants totally displayed a poor batting performance at the MCA Stadium as the team got all out to just 82 runs. The ball was gripping a bit on this pitch and the batter completely did not read right as only Quinton de Kock (11) and Deepak Hooda (27) could score in double digits along with Avesh Khan (12) who added a few runs in the end. It was a forgetful day for the KL Rahul-led side as they must’ve looked to win the game and qualify for the playoffs.
Rashid Khan was the go-to bowler while defending such a low total and the right arm leg break bowler did not disappoint as he picked four wickets in the second innings. R Sai Kishore and Yash Dayal also got 2 wickets each. Along with them, Mohammad Shami managed to get one wicket as well.
For LSG, Avesh Khan grabbed two wickets in his quota of four overs. With him, one wicket each for Jason Holder and Mohsin Khan in the first innings.
Shubman Gill was adjudged Man of the Match for his amazing batting job on the trick pitch. Following this win, Gujarat Titans have now 18 points in their kitty and are the first team to qualify for the playoffs.
Scorecard:
Gujarat Titans: 144/4, Overs 20, Shubman Gill 63*, Avesh Khan 2/26
Lucknow Super Giants: 82/10, Overs 13.5, Deepak Hooda 27, Rashid Khan 4/24