Notwithstanding the absence of Mitchell Marsh, Lucknow Super Giants trounced Gujarat Titans in the joust of mighty top orders and ascended to third on the IPL 2025 points table.
After Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan supplied a 120-run opening stand, GT could fetch only 60 off their last eight overs while losing six wickets as the canny variations of Digvesh Rathi and Ravi Bishnoi (8-0-66-3 helped LSG retaliate on a black-soil pitch at Ekana Stadium.
Aiden Markram and Rishabh Pant, who opened the batting for the first time in the IPL in almost a decade, made good use of the fielding restrictions to put LSG ahead in pursuit. Markram departed for 58 off 31 balls but Nicholas Pooran safeguarded against any let-ups with a six-studded 61 off 34 balls as LSG finished the job with three balls to spare, putting a kibosh on GT’s four-match winning streak.
Inserted, GT rode on Gill and Sudharsan in the PowerPlay, collecting 54/0. Sudharsan kickstarted the innings with a thumping boundary off Shardul Thakur and then when Akash Deep overpitched, he drove the ball elegantly for four.
Sudharsan operates within his means, conjoining skill and smarts to fit the bill in the shortest format. At the other end, Gill was more proactive, often stepping out or manufacturing room to free his arms. When LSG tried to sneak in an over from Markram, Gill and Sudharsan put a wrench in their plans by taking the part-time off-spinner for 15 runs.
Sudharsan’s knock could’ve been terminated on 46 had Abdul Samad held onto a catch at cover off Rathi. He went onto rack up his fourth half-century in six innings in IPL, soon after Gill had reached the milestone.
The dismissals of Gill and Sudharsan in quick succession, however, brought LSG back into the contest. While Avesh Khan had Gill holing out to long on with a cutter, Bishnoi had Sudharsan caught at cover with an archetypally nippy wrong ‘un. The leg-spinner also had Washington Sundar dragging on for 2 with another googly.
Mystery spinner Rathi, who was denied a couple of wickets due to poor catching, eventually entered the wickets column when Thakur snaffled a tough chance at short fine leg to dismiss Jos Buttler for 16 off 14 balls. Thakur proceeded to close out the innings with his clever variations, removing Sherfane Rutherford and Rahul Tewatia in the final over. From 120 for 0 after 12 overs, GT finished on 180 for 6.
Where can you find fireworks tonight? 🎆 🤔
In Lucknow, from the bat of Nicholas Pooran 😎
Updates ▶ https://t.co/VILHBLEerV #TATAIPL | #LSGvGT | @nicholas_47 pic.twitter.com/Lb9E6XQoPB
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 12, 2025
LSG got off to a flyer, polishing 61 runs off the target in the PowerPlay itself, with Markram scoring 38 of those. Pant, who had given himself a promotion, was happy to play second fiddle to the South African before he went after Rashid Khan in the last over of the PowerPlay, slog-sweeping the Afghan wrist-spinner for four via mid-wicket.
In the next over, though, when he advanced against Prasidh Krishna, the bowler bowled away from his body and had Pant reaching out at his own peril to walk back for 21 off 18 balls. Markram, meanwhile, balanced orthodoxy and innovation to accomplish a 26-ball fifty.
Pooran had already peeled off two sixes by the time GT introduced Sai Kishore into the attack at the halfway mark. The first delivery, which seemed like a carrom ball, was scythed over midwicket for six. He then thundered two more sixes off the next three balls and dumped the left-armer out of the attack. With his scintillating blows, Pooran dwarfed the asking rate down to a run-a-ball. He ended up with seven sixes to his name, extending his tally to 31 sixes this season, well clear of the next best on the list.
By the time Rashid claimed Pooran’s wicket in the 16th over, LSG needed 26 off 28 balls. Ayush Badoni, LSG’s Impact Player, has a good head on his young shoulders and thereby got the job done without any fuss.
