IPL 2023: KL Rahul's composed knock fails as GT steals triumph from LSG; fans livid
IPL 2023: Gujarat Titans snatched a win from the jaws of defeat against Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday, while KL Rahul's composed knock of 68 went in vain, whereas fans were left livid.
FollowIt was a top gameplay display by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). However, it failed to tame defending champion Gujarat Titans (GT), losing by seven runs in Match 30 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday. Hosts' skipper-cum-opener KL Rahul was back in form but played a slow knock of a 61-ball 68, as LSG remained second while GT stayed at fourth.
Winning the toss, Gujarat opted to bat, as it lost opener Shubman Gill (0) to spinner Krunal Pandya in the second over of the PowerPlay (PP), with four runs on the board. However, opener Wriddhiman Saha (47) and skipper Hardik Pandya (66) put on a 68-run partnership for the second wicket to keep the visitors going.
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In the 11th, Saha departed to Krunal, as the Titans were down to 92/4 by the 15th. However, Pandya and David Miller (6) added 40 for the fifth wicket, with the captain engaging in most of the hitting, bringing up his ninth IPL half-century in the process before falling to pacer Marcus Stoinis in the final over, as they finished on a below-par total of 135/6.
For Lucknow, Krunal and Stoinis grabbed a couple of wickets each, while the former was extremely economical. After the 16th over, the Super Giants had brought in Prerak Mankad for leg-spinner Amit Mishra. As LSG began the chase, openers Rahul and Kyle Mayers (24) put on 55 before leg-spinner Rashid Khan cleaned up the latter in the seventh.
Lucknow hardly panicked, as Rahul kept going along with Krunal (23), adding 51 for the second wicket before the latter fell to chinaman Noor Ahmad in the 15th, while the former scored his 33rd IPL 50. However, the skipper's struggles were evident as he was dismissed by pacer Mohit Sharma in the final over at 126, as LSG was restricted at 128/7. Mohit and Noor grasped a couple for Super Giants, whereas the latter nailed it with his economy.
