Following the 33-run loss to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match, Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Shubman Gill said that his team delivered a poor batting performance while chasing an easy total on a batting-friendly wicket. Yash Thakur’s pace rattled Gujarat Titans as Lucknow Super Giants emerged victorious with a comprehensive 33-run victory in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Sunday at Ekana Cricket Stadium. Following the loss, Gill said during the post-match presentation, “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 could not 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 due to injury, Gill said: “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.”
LSG won the toss and opted to bat first. The hosts were reduced to 18/2 at one point. A 73-run partnership between skipper KL Rahul (33 in 31 balls, with three fours) and Marcus Stoinis (58 in 43 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) put LSG in a decent position again.
Later, knocks from Nicholas Pooran (32* in 22 balls, with three sixes) and Ayush Badoni (20 in 11 balls, with three fours) helped LSG post a moderate 163/5 in their 20 overs.
Umesh Yadav (2/22) and Rashid Khan (1/28) were among the wickets for GT.
Chasing 164 runs, GT did have a fine start as skipper Shubman Gill (19 in 21 balls, with two fours) and Sai Sudharsan (31 in 23 balls, with four boundaries) formed a 54-run opening stand, but pacer Yash Thakur’s five-wicket haul (5/30) and Krunal Pandya’s economical 3/11 blew GT away. Despite Rahul Tewatia (30 in 25 balls, with two fours and two sixes) putting up a fight, GT were skittled out for 130 in 18.5 overs, losing by 33 runs.
Thakur’s fifer earned him the ‘Player of the Match’ honours. LSG is in third place on the points table with three wins and a loss, giving them six points. GT is in seventh place, having won two and lost three. They have a total of four points.
