Indian Premier League 2024

'Rahul GT ke hero he' - Fans react as GT pulls off a dramatic win over LSG in low-scoring thriller

Gujarat Titans registered their fourth win of the tournament by beating Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 7 runs.

author-image
Akshay
New Update
GT vs LSG

GT vs LSG (Source: Twitter)

GT vs LSG GT vs LSG (Source: Twitter)

Gujarat Titans (GT) defeated Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 7 runs in a low-scoring thriller on Saturday, April 22, claiming their fourth victory in the Indian Premier League 2023. The LSG batters looked good to chase down the target of 136 at the end of 15 overs, but the GT bowlers pulled things back at the right moment to register a dramatic win at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.

Captain KL Rahul led the chase with a quick half-century but was completely out of place when he reached that mark. Kyle Meyers and Rahul got off to a good start, putting on 55 runs in 6.3 before the former was dismissed. After that, Krunal Pandya joined Rahul and the two formed a decent partnership for the second wicket. Noor Ahmed removed Krunal in the 15th over and the Titans stole the show thereafter.

Rahul brought up his half-century off 37 balls, but the loss of wickets from the other end and pressure during the chase, slowed down the LSG captain's innings. With 12 runs needed in the last over, Mohit Sharma held his nerve and bowled brilliantly. The right-arm pacer took two wickets conceding just four runs in that over.

LSG bowlers dragged back in second innings to restrict GT to 135 runs

Earlier, after winning the toss and electing to bat first, GT suffered an early setback as they lost the in-form Shubman Gill in the second over. But his opening partner Wriddhiman Saha played a breezy knock, scoring 47 off 37 balls to give his team a solid start. Skipper Hardik Pandya promoted himself to No. 3 and put on a 68-run partnership with the wicket-keeper batter.

Krunal Pandya, who drew first blood by dismissing Gill, picked up his second wicket of the evening by removing a well-set Saha in the 11th over. They still had quality batters on their side and with 72 runs on the board after 10.3 overs, the Titans were eyeing a 150+ score. However, LSG bowlers dragged back in the second half with Krunal, Amit Mishra, Naveen-ul-Haq and Marcus Stoinis tightening the screws.

Hardik scored a half-century but it didn't hurt the hosts much as the all-rounder played a slow innings. But his 66 off 50 balls was crucial for GT because no other batters, except Saha, stood up. Krunal and Stonis were the pick of the bowlers for LSG, taking two wickets each with economies of 4 and 6.7, respectively. Mishra and Naveen were also brilliant for the visitors, each grabbing one wicket.

Here's how fans reacted to GT's win:

IPL KL Rahul Lucknow Super Giants Gujarat Titans