In a high-scoring match in Ahmedabad, the Lucknow Super Giants put a stop to Gujarat Titans’ top-two assault as Mitchell Marsh hammered his first IPL century and Nicholas Pooran returned to his bludgeoning ways. LSG reached 235/2 thanks to their batting heroics, but table-toppers GT almost responded appropriately. Sherfane Rutherford (38 off 22) and Shahrukh Khan (57 off 29) put up a valiant fight, but GT lost the chase by 33 runs.
The location of the game’s victory
The death has come. GT needed 71 going into that phase, which is four less than what LSG was able to manage there. To dampen GT’s spirits, however, William O’Rourke bowled a double-wicket over.
The death overs difference
| Parameters | LSG | GT |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 75/1 | 37/6 |
| Scoring rate | 15 | 7.4 |
| 4s/6s | 4/6 | 2/1 |
Lucknow Super Giants
PowerPlay: LSG openers get off to a tumultuous start
Phase score – 53/0 [RR: 8.84, 4s/6s: 4/3]
Despite scoring more than 50 runs, the LSG openers, who have been reliably good throughout their team’s otherwise dismal season, had a bit of a rough start. Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram hit three sixes each, which was mostly responsible for taking 14 off Arshad Khan in the second over and 15 off Kagiso Rabada in the sixth over. In addition, both batters survived the PowerPlay with their undefeated record intact despite taking body hits from long deliveries that tailed into them.
Middle-overs: Marsh, Pooran punish spin
Phase score – 107/1 [RR: 11.89, 4s/6s: 8/8]
By pursuing Prasidh Krishna and Sai Kishore and hitting a six to reach a 33-ball half-century in the 10th over, Marsh calmed LSG’s worries throughout the middle overs. After LSG’s opening duo recorded their fifth 50-plus stand of the season, the left-arm spinner had Markram caught at long-off for a 23-ball 36 in the same over. Marsh continued to dominate, even hitting Rashid for 25 runs in the 12th over after Nicholas Pooran walked out and hammered his first ball for a six. Marsh exceeded 500 runs for the first time during an IPL season. Pooran’s touch that got him and LSG going early in the season before they dipped in unison was rekindled, which only made GT’s suffering worse. LSG took 70 runs in five middle-spin overs from Rashid and Sai Kishore.
Death overs: Marsh slams first-ever IPL ton
Phase score – 75/1 [RR:15.00, 4s/6s: 4/6]
The LSG pair escalated the devastation after tearing through the middle, as only one over in the final five went for a single-digit score. In the 16th, they started off with a 20-run over against Siraj. Marsh reached his first IPL century as Arshad went for 14 despite not giving up a six in the 17th. Pooran reached a half-century off 23 balls in Krishna’s last over, while Marsh added two more sixes to his total. Rishabh Pant came out and blasted two sixes in the 20th over to lead his team to a huge 235/2 in 20 overs, but Arshad stopped Marsh’s brilliant essay on 117 off 64.
Gujarat Titans
PowerPlay: Routine strong start from GT
Phase score – 67/1 [RR: 11.16, 4s/6s: 11/2]
Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill proceeded as usual to punctuate yet another PowerPlay with an abundance of boundaries despite the intimidating objective. The two, who are at the top of the fours charts this season, got off to a strong start against Akash Deep and Akash Singh. Before he was tamely dismissed by William O’Rourke after chipping a ball to Markram at mid-off, Sai Sudharsan appeared poised for another memorable essay. In the last over of the PowerPlay, Jos Buttler, who ranks fifth on the previously mentioned list of boundary-hitters, showed off his powerful batting abilities by hitting two fours and two sixes off Avesh Khan, who had to bowl the five balls of the over while Akash was out with an injury after being struck on the hand on the opening delivery.
Middle-overs: After a rare top-three failure, the onus is on the middle order
Phase score – 98/2 [RR: 10.89, 4s/6s: 7/5]
GT’s season-long consistency was pricked by LSG. Each of GT’s top three players suffered a score below 50 in the same game for the second time this year. With a quick catch from Abdul Samad sprinting in from long off, Avesh recovered from the earlier battering to terminate Gill’s stay. The underutilized middle-order was left to take GT home in a huge chase when Akash returned with a brilliant cutter from around the stumps that broke through Buttler’s defense and reduced GT to 97/3 at the halfway point. Sherfane Rutherford and Shahrukh Khan quickly defeated Akash and O’Rourke, demonstrating their willingness to take on the task, although momentarily. Shahbaz Ahmed bowled a fine quiet over for seven runs, but the two batters made up for it in the 14th over, when Shahrukh hit two fours and Rutherford flipped a six to end the over. Avesh was hammered for 17. On the first ball of his subsequent over, Shahrukh gave Shahbaz the charge, resulting in a six over mid-wicket. After cutting a shortish ball for a four, Rutherford reverse-swept one for a six. GT needed 71 from 30 deliveries as the two entered the final overs.
Death overs: Double-wicket O’Rourke over derails GT
Phase score – 37/6 [RR: 7.40, 4s/6s: 2/1]
With a streaky boundary to third man off an outside edge to begin the 16th over from Akash Deep, Shahrukh immediately put pressure on the bowling side before tonking a full ball for a six down the ground. Even though his third man and fine leg were inside the circle, Akash Deep followed it with a slow bouncer, much to Rishabh Pant’s explicit disgust. The ball was easily upper-cut for a four by Shahrukh. Then, O’Rourke reversed the situation by dismissing Rahul Tewatia and Rutherford with a double-wicket over. The lower-order had to chase 50 off 18 after Shahrukh reached a half-century off 22 balls. The hunt was essentially over when Shahbaz removed Arshad Khan in the 18th over and Avesh put an end to Shahrukh’s vigil in the 19th. Pant passed the ball to Ayush Badoni, who took two wickets and secured a 33-run victory with 38 to defend off the final over.
Brief Scores: Lucknow Super Giants 235/2 in 20 overs (Mitchell Marsh 117, Nicholas Pooran 56*; Sai Kishore 1-34) beat Gujarat Titans 202/9 in 20 overs (Shahrukh Khan 57; William O’Rourke 3-27, Ayush Badoni 2-4) by 33 runs
