LSG End Gujarat Titans’ Winning Run With Six-Wicket Victory

Lucknow Super Giants 186 for 4 (Pooran 61, Markram 58, Prasidh 2-26) beat Gujarat Titans 180 for 6 (Gill 60, Sudharsan 56, Thakur 2-24, Bishnoi 2-36) by six wickets

Despite the absence of Mitchell Marsh, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) outplayed Gujarat Titans (GT) in a clash dominated by top-order performances and climbed to third on the IPL 2025 points table.

After GT's openers, Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan, stitched together a commanding 120-run stand, their innings lost steam in the final eight overs, managing just 60 runs for six wickets. LSG’s comeback was led by the spin duo of Ravi Bishnoi and Digvesh Rathi (8-0-66-3), who exploited the slow, black-soil pitch at Ekana Stadium to pull things back.

In response, Aiden Markram and Rishabh Pant, opening in the IPL for the first time in nearly a decade, gave LSG a flying start in the powerplay. Markram smashed 58 off 31 balls before falling, while Nicholas Pooran finished the chase in style with a brutal 61 off 34 balls, peppered with seven sixes. LSG sealed the win with three balls to spare, ending GT’s four-match winning streak.

Sudharsan and Gill Shine Early

GT were sent in to bat, and their openers got off to a brisk start, putting up 54 in the powerplay. Sudharsan, though not a natural T20 hitter, continued to score fluently with a smart low-risk approach, while Gill took the aggressive route, frequently stepping out and finding gaps. The pair punished part-time spinner Markram for 15 runs in an over, but Sudharsan had a life on 46 when Abdul Samad dropped a chance at cover.

Both batters reached their fifties, but once they fell in successive overs—Gill to Avesh Khan and Sudharsan to a Bishnoi wrong ’un—GT's innings faltered. Bishnoi also bowled out Washington Sundar cheaply, while Rathi, despite a couple of dropped catches, claimed the wicket of Jos Buttler. Shardul Thakur wrapped up the innings with the wickets of Rutherford and Tewatia in the final over. GT slid from 120 for 0 to 180 for 6.

Markram’s Flair, Pant’s Grit

LSG raced to 61 without loss in their powerplay. Markram was the aggressor with 38 runs, while Pant took a more cautious approach and briefly looked uncomfortable after taking a blow to the knee. He found some rhythm against Rashid Khan but was dismissed for 21 by Prasidh Krishna after slicing a catch to deep third. Markram, combining classical strokes with modern innovation, reached his fifty off just 26 balls before departing.

Pooran’s Six-Show Steals the Game

Pooran picked up from where Markram left off. He took a particular liking to R Sai Kishore, launching him for three sixes in the tenth over and effectively ending his spell. Pooran’s power hitting brought the required rate down to a run-a-ball and put the chase firmly in LSG’s control. He ended with seven sixes—more than the entire GT team combined—and took his IPL 2025 six tally to 31, comfortably ahead of the rest.

Though Rashid dismissed him in the 16th over, LSG needed only 26 from 28 balls by then. Ayush Badoni, coming in as the Impact Player, calmly finished the job with an unbeaten cameo.

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