Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) registered a convincing 33-run victory over Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 21st match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, played at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
LSG captain KL Rahul won the toss and elected to bat first.
LSG’s batting innings began on a shaky note as Umesh Yadav dismissed the in-form Quinton de Kock on the fourth delivery. The next over saw Yadav claim another scalp, removing youngster Devdutt Padikkal. However, a steady 73-run partnership between Rahul (33) and Marcus Stoinis (58) steadied the ship. After their dismissals by Darshan Nalkande, Nicholas Pooran (32*) and Ayush Badoni (20) provided a late flourish, taking LSG to a total of 163/5.
In reply, GT’s chase began brightly with openers Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill stitching together a 54-run stand. However, the innings unravelled spectacularly after the powerplay. Yash Thakur dismissed Gill on the last ball of the powerplay, while Kane Williamson fell to a sensational catch by Ravi Bishnoi off his own bowling. Krunal Pandya then took centre stage, claiming three quick wickets – Sudharsan, BR Sharath, and Nalkande – to dismantle the GT batting line-up. His exceptional spell of 3/11 included the most economical four-over spell against GT in IPL history. GT slumped from 54/1 to 93/7, losing seven wickets for a mere 39 runs. Yash Thakur continued his dominance, picking up a double-wicket maiden in the 15th over. Though Rahul Tewatia (30) offered some late resistance, the writing was already on the wall. GT eventually succumbed by 33 runs, with Thakur finishing with career-best figures of 5/27.
This emphatic win marked LSG’s first victory over GT, having lost the previous four encounters between the two sides.
Yash Thakur’s phenomenal bowling performance was rightfully rewarded with the Man of the Match award.
With this win, LSG climbs to third place in the points table, while GT finds themselves slipping down to seventh.
Scorecard:
Lucknow Super Giants: 163/5, Overs 20, Marcus Stoinis 58 (43), Darshan Nalkande 2/21
Gujarat Titans: 130-10, Overs 18.5, Sai Sudharsan 31 (23), Yash Thakur 5/30