IPL 2023: 51th Match GT vs LSG: May 07, 2023

In a match held in Ahmedabad, the Gujarat Titans have virtually secured their place in the playoffs of the IPL 2023 with a resounding 56-run victory over the Lucknow Super Giants. The Titans now have 16 points from 11 games, and their net run rate of 0.951 is the best in the league by far. The victory was made possible by an impressive opening partnership between Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill, who put on a Titans record of 142 runs in just 12.1 overs. Saha scored 81 runs off 43 balls, while Gill finished on an unbeaten 94 off 51 deliveries to help the Titans reach a massive total of 227 for 2.

The Lucknow Super Giants started their innings well, with Quinton de Kock and Kyle Mayers giving them a strong opening partnership of 88 runs in 8.2 overs. However, once Mayers was dismissed by Mohit Sharma, the Super Giants struggled to keep up with the required run rate. The match was also notable because it saw the Pandya brothers, Hardik and Krunal, captain their respective sides against each other in T20 cricket, only the second time such a situation has occurred.

Saha’s role in the Titans’ batting lineup is to attack during the powerplay, and he did just that, starting his innings with two fours off Mohsin Khan in the opening over. He hit two fours and two sixes off Mohsin in the fourth over, and by the end of that over, the Titans had reached 53 runs, with Saha contributing 46. Saha brought up his half-century in just 20 balls with a six over long-on off Yash Thakur in the sixth over. However, he was dismissed for 81 runs off 43 balls, dragging Avesh Khan to deep square leg.

Gill, who had been watching Saha dominate from the non-striker’s end for most of the powerplay, started to match him shot for shot and even outshine him. He hit two sixes off Ravi Bishnoi in one over, and reached his fifty off just 29 balls. Gill had hit six sixes but no fours in his first 68 runs. After Saha’s dismissal, Gill started to tire in the heat, but David Miller and Hardik Pandya provided some valuable contributions to the Titans’ innings. Gill finished on 94 runs off 50 balls, just six runs short of what would have been his first IPL century.

In response, the Lucknow Super Giants started strongly, hitting nine fours and six sixes in the first four overs. However, once Mayers was dismissed, they struggled to score freely, managing just 33 runs in the next six overs. With 107 runs required from the last six overs, de Kock tried to revive the chase with a six off Mohit, but the bowler hit back by dismissing Marcus Stoinis with another slower ball. Rashid Khan then sent back de Kock to effectively end the Super Giants’ challenge. Ayush Badoni tried to reduce the margin of the loss, but Mohit finished with figures of 4 for 29, dismissing Badoni and Krunal Pandya to secure a comprehensive victory for the Titans.