Win Projections to be updated soon
IPl 2024: The Lucknow Super Giants defeated the Gujarat Titans for the first time in their brief existence. With Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran providing solid hitting support, Lucknow won the match by a margin of 33 runs thanks to Yash Thakur’s outstanding five-for in the second innings. For the majority of the game, the hosts—captain KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal—had trouble getting going. Notably, Quinton de Kock left the game in the opening over.
Nevertheless, Pooran’s outstanding cameo of 32 runs off 22 deliveries helped Lucknow score 163 runs, while Stoinis’ outstanding half-century saved them. Darshan Nalkande took a few in the middle overs, but Umesh Yadav was the most impressive of the GT bowlers during the powerplay, taking two wickets.
Although Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan appeared to be in fine form throughout the pursuit, the captain was unable to take advantage of the momentum. Sai scored 31 runs in the middle, but he left for just 19. Following that, GT was eliminated from the race when drivers such as Sharath, Vijay Shankar, Nalkande, and Kane Williamson were unable to get moving. Rahul Tewatia attempted a late-game comeback, but he was unable to lead the squad to victory this time. Yash Thakur of LSG showed amazing skill with the ball, scoring a spectacular five-for to stymie GT’s momentum.
1. KL Rahul’s strike rate is still a problem
KL Rahul said he would do everything in his power to make India’s squad for the next T20 World Cup ahead of the IPL 2024. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s lack of form gave Rahul a fantastic chance to make a compelling case, but his strike rate is still a big problem. To put it mildly, the LSG captain’s 33 runs off 31 deliveries against GT at a strike rate of 106.45 is worrying.
2. Stoinis and Pooran’s brute force
After a rocky beginning, Stoinis was under pressure, particularly as Rahul was having difficulty as well. Before speeding, the Australian international maintained composure and adjusted to the circumstances. He ultimately scored 58 runs off of 43 deliveries, which was a major factor in them reaching a total that was winnable. Pooran deserves praise as well because he really shined at the end. The fact that he has been playing so well this year is encouraging for the team.
3. Yash Thakur‘s five points for
Yash Thakur performed brilliantly despite Mayank Yadav’s injury, which may have worried the LSG camp. Due to his outstanding spell, LSG won easily. He claimed significant wickets of Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, and Noor Ahmed. He has greatly benefited the team during Mayank’s absence. However, the two outstanding spinners, Ravi Bishnoi and Krunal Pandya, shared four wickets.
Also read: IPL 2024: Gujarat Titans’ 2nd innings highlights against LSG in Match 21
The losing skipper, Shubman Gill, 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.
Winning skipper KL Rahul 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).
POTM Yash Thakur said:
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.
India
