Image Credit- BCCI
With a valiant 163-run defence in Lucknow, the Lucknow Super Giants won their third game in a row and their first over the Gujarat Titans in five attempts. The home team had elected to bat first, and although the Titans got off to a strong start in their hunt for runs, Marcus Stoinis’ first half-century of the season supplied the necessary support. However, Yash Thakur claimed a maiden five-for to help destroy the innings.
After Umesh Yadav had struck twice with the new ball, captain KL Rahul and Stoinis chose accumulation over fluidity in the LSG batting attempt. Both failed to raise the stakes, and it took Ayush Badoni’s appearance and Nicholas Pooran’s power bursts to lift them to an acceptable score.
With Quinton de Kock making his 100th IPL appearance by clattering Umesh Yadav into the stands with the second delivery, LSG was looking to get off to a quick start against the new ball. He did not make it through the over, though, as a massive top edge to deep third ended an attempted repeat. After scoring four consecutive single-figure scores for his new team, Devdutt Padikkal left Lucknow looking vulnerable at 18 for 2 in the third over.
But Rahul is the ideal candidate for a rebuild, and with Stoinis by his side, the innings was salvaged. Following three boundaries off of Spencer Johnson’s second over, the two batted patiently through the middle of the innings until the 13th over, when the LSG captain nearly attempted to knock Darshan Nalkande over long-on but failed to do so.
LSG faced an uphill battle going into the final overs, with Rashid still having two up his sleeve and two new batsmen at the crease. After giving up five singles off the 17th, Rashid was relieved somewhat by Pooran and Ayush Badoni, who took Mohit Shah for three boundaries in the following over.
Titans eased out of the starting blocks with a fifty opening stand within the powerplay, chasing what appeared to be a middling target. While Shubman Gill tried to play himself in, Sai Sudharsan showed off his poise and wrists by hitting four early boundaries, including two off Mayank in his lone over, in which the LSG fast man barely broke 140 kph. Titans appeared to be winning with Mayank needing to leave the pitch and M Siddharth having trouble with front-foot no-balls.
But the remarkable collapse began with the dismissal of Gill off the last ball of the sixth over. After Krunal completed a clean over, Ravi Bishnoi made a wonderful one-handed return catch off Titans impact substitute Kane Williamson with his second ball. The first ball of Krunal’s second over saw Sudharsan hole out to deep square leg, and BR Sharath top-edge a sweep to deep backward square. After losing four wickets for seven runs in the span of eighteen balls, Titans found themselves completely out of luck.
The Titans never made a comeback. As the asking rate increased to 12 an over, Krunal took a third wicket. However, the shrewd Yash came back to dismiss Rashid Khan and Vijay Shankar in the space of four deliveries, leaving the score at 93 for 7. The sole chance of an upset came from Rahul Tewatia, who twice cleared the ropes in 30 balls, but Yash finished the innings with career-best T20 statistics after he was caught deep square leg.