LSG vs GT | Titans fail to capitalize on big opening stand as Markram-Pooran power takes Lucknow home

Asked to bat first, Gujarat Titans stuck with their conventional approach in the powerplay as Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill used the gift of timing to nail the new-ball duo of Shardul Thakur and Akash Deep for several boundaries while taking practically no risks. Digvesh Rathi and Avesh Khan met with similar fates towards the end of the powerplay and Gujarat cruised to 54/0 by the time the fielding restrictions were lifted. However, the two batters let Lucknow know five outfielders won’t force them to relent by taking 12 runs off Ravi Bishnoi in the seventh and then pummelling Aiden Markram for 15. Gill and Sudharsan soon brought up 31 and 32-ball fifties respectively while the stand ticked past 100, making theirs the first century opening stand in this season of the IPL. It took a brilliant catch from Markram in the 13th to eventually net Lucknow their first breakthrough in the form of Gill and as conventional wisdom goes, one wicket brings two or in this case, four. Bishnoi dispatched both Sudharsan and Washington Sundar in the very next over, before Rathi accounted for Jos Buttler as GT slumped from 120/0 after 12 overs to 147/4 at the end of 17. Were it not for three Sherfane Rutherford’s boundaries at the death after initial struggles, and a Shahrukh Khan six, the team would have even failed to touch 180 as their last eight overs only begot them 60 runs.

In response, Lucknow made the bold decision of sending skipper Rishabh Pant out to open with Aiden Markram in the absence of Mitchell Marsh through personal reasons. The decision seemed to backfire early on as Pant struggled to get going and even offered Buttler a catch in the third over, but the spilled chance as well as some rightful intent from Makram ensured the team kept purring alone. The Proteas benefitted from a dropped catch too when Arshad Khan let one slip in the penultimate over of the powerplay that fetched the team 12 runs, taking their score after six overs to ahandsome 61/0. However, Pant could not last much beyond as he top-edged a Prasidh Krishna delivery straight to third man but the wicket only brought out danger man Nicholas Pooran who has been enjoying a purple patch this season. This occassion turned out to be no different, as he got going with a six off his fifth against Rashid Khan, then added another against Sundar before treating Sai Kishore to three maximums in the 10th. Markram, meanwhile, refused to back down either and brought up a 26-ball half-century to ensure that at the end of his 58-run stand with Pooran at a strike rate of 200, the team only required 58 runs in the last nine overs. The wicket barely detterred Pooran who brought up a 23-ball fifty, and left LSG needing 26 at less than run-a-ball which proved to be little trouble for the home side courtesy of Ayush Badoni’s finish with 28* off 20, despite not the cleanest of knocks from David Miller (7 off 11).

It’s not his work tonight. Nicholas pooran is out of syllabus for every bowler. #LSGvsGT

— Shuvlendu Kumar (@Shuvlendu) April 12, 2025