LUCKNOW: With their explosive batter Mitchell Marsh opting out of the match against Gujarat Titans to take care of his unwell daughter, skipper Rishabh Pant opened the batting for Lucknow Super Giants at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday for the first time this season.
Chasing a tricky target of 181 against the table toppers, the move at least did a world of good for the under-fire wicketkeeper-batter as he scored his highest individual total of the tournament so far. In fact his score of 21 was two runs more than his combined score from the last four innings (19 - he didn't bat in LSG's win over Kolkata Knight Riders in their last match).
Pant also added 65 runs in just 6.2 overs with Aiden Markram (58) as his team registered an easy victory over the visitors. His 21 scored off 18 balls might not be a quickfore knock for which the Delhi batter is known for but it can boost his confidence for the remainder of the tournament.
The good start the duo gave provided batters to follow a solid platform to chase down the total and in-form Nicholas Pooran didn't disappoint. Already a top scorer of the tournament so far, he slammed his fourth half-century (second consecutive) of the season to end the winning run of the Gujarat franchise, who came into the match on the back of four straight wins. He departed after a 34-ball 61 but by then he had brought Lucknow in the commanding position, who had survived a few anxious moments before winning by six wickets in the last over.
The victory will also be a worrying sign for Chennai Super Kings, already in the dumps after five straight losses, who will be visiting the city for their next match scheduled on Monday.
Earlier, openers Sai Sudharsan (56 off 37) and captain Shubman Gill (38-ball 60) stitched together a 120-run partnership for GT to give them a flying start. They then went on to lose three wickets for seven runs which eventually put brakes on their scoring rate. Shardul Thakur and Ravi Bishnoi claimed two wickets apiece for Gujarat as Lucknow could score only 180/6 in their quota of 20 overs.
Brief scores: Gujarat Titans: 180/6 in 20 ovs (Gill 60, Sai Sudharsan 56; Shardul 2/34, Bishnoi 2/36) lose to Lucknow Super Giants: 186/4 in 19.3 ovs (Markram 58, Pooran 61; Prasidh Krishna 2/26)
