Lucknow Super Giants registered a 33-run win at the Ekana Sports City in Lucknow against the Gujarat Titans on Sunday in the ongoing edition of the IPL.
LSG, batting first, posted a total of 163/5 in 20 overs thanks to Marcus Stoinis’ 58-run knock, supported by Nicholas Pooran’s unbeaten 32 and skipper KL Rahul’s 31-ball 33.
The hosts went on to bundle out the Gujarat side for a low score of 130 runs in 18.5 overs as Yash Thakur starred with a five-wicket haul. Krunal Pandya scalped three wickets, while Naveen-ul-Haq and Ravi Bishnoi picked up a wicket each.
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LSG have managed to win three of their last four games, all after batting first. Captain Rahul was quizzed about what he felt about making the art of defending totals look appealing, he said he was chuffed to take the win and added that having a set target to defend helps with the young bowling attack he has at his disposal.
“We’ll take the win, I am not going to make too much out of it,” Rahul began.
“For the young bowling unit we have, it helps when we bat first. They get an idea how the wicket is playing and they’ve also been adapting really well,” he continued.
“It’s a good record to have, but it’s also where we’ve played. Having the home advantage helps,” he added.
Rahul laid further emphasis on the side’s bowling unit which has consistently performed well plying their trade in the second innings of the game.
“The bowlers have come through the ranks over the last couple of years. you have seen the same guys bowling in the last season as well,” Rahul reflected.
“They have adjusted to their roles. Hopefully we can continue this,” the 31-year-old said.
Rahul stated that the team was aware of the potential the pitch offered for the fielding side and how challenging it was to rack up runs at the venue.
“We knew that it wasn’t as good as the wicket we played on in the previous match here, also losing two wickets in the powerplay will set us back a bit,” the skipper said.
“Unless someone carries on to get 70-80, it was tough to achieve that 170-180. We just wanted to bat and see how much we can get. That’s the advantage you have when you are batting first,” Rahul reflected.
Rahul heaped praise on his spin unit which managed to choke the flow of runs during the chase and pile pressure on the GT, which ultimately paid off with the quick collapse of the visitors.
“All three spinners have been key for us. Sid coming in this season has done really well, he plays a crucial part with the new ball, and he’s shown great temperament. His job is to restrict the batters,” Rahul expressed.
“Krunal Pandya is very experienced, he’s played IPL for so many seasons. And Bishnoi has been around for so many years as well and he just keeps getting better,” LSG skipper lauded his spinners.
The victory was also LSG’s first ever against the likes of GT and Rahul expressed it was good to get their first triumph over the side from Ahmedabad.
“Feels good to get off the mark there,” Rahul signed off.
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