Lucknow, Apr 12: Nicholas Pooran’s power-hitting and Aiden Markram’s calm demeanour shaped Lucknow Super Giants’ comfortable six-wicket win over Gujarat Giants in an IPL match here on Saturday.
Pooran (61 off 34) and Markram (58 off 31) shared 58 runs off 29 balls for the second wicket to set the tone for the 181-run chase, which they managed in 19.3 overs.
Earlier, skipper Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan struck quick-fire half-centuries during their 120-run opening stand before LSG pulled things back brilliantly to restrict GT to 180 for six.
Sudharsan (56 off 37) struck his fourth fifty of the season and created a platform for a massive total with Gill (60 off 38) but the home team bowlers made a valiant comeback, picking up three quick wickets to put brakes on the scoring rate.
The visitors could manage just 60 in the last eight overs after raising the best opening wicket partnership of the season.
Chasing the target, in Mitchell Marsh’s absence, who is sitting out of the match because of his daughter’s illness, home skipper Rishabh Pant (21 off 18) opened the innings.
Even after getting as reprieve from wicket-keeper Jos Buttler off Mohammed Siraj in the third over, Pant’s (21 off 18) struggle continued as he departed while looking for a huge hit off Prasidh Krishna (2/26), caught by Washington Sundar at third man.
But before LSG had got a flying start, scoring 61 runs in the powerplay.
Markram was the aggressor in his partnership with Pant as he clobbered a Krishan short ball outside the leg-stump well over deep mid-wicket.
After Pant’s dismissal, a confident Markram carried on with his deft touches while power-hitter Pooran dealt in sixes.
Sai Kishore, probably GT’s best spinner this season, was taken to task by Pooran and Markram, especially the West Indian who smashed three huge sixes to pick up 24 runs of his first over.
Markram departed in search of another big hit, caught by Gill of Prasidh in the 12th over. He struck nine fours and one six during his knock.
Pooran was ferocious towards the square of the wicket on the leg side and decorated his knock with one four and seven huge hits over the fence. By the time Pooran got out, caught by Shahrukh Khan off Rashid Khan, the match was all but over.
Earlier, sent in to bat, Sudharsan gave a flying start to GT, hitting Shardul Thakur’s (2/34) short delivery to the backward point for a boundary in the first ball of the match.
Both Sudharsan and Gill collected boundaries in almost every over, punishing the home bowlers.
GT brought up their fifty in the sixth over when Sudharsan whipped a Avesh Khan delivery on the pads over the backward square-leg fence as the visitors scored 64 in the powerplay.
But it was Sudharsan who played the second fiddle as his skipper Gill effortlessly found boundaries with his clean and simple batting.
Gill cut and pulled and also effortlessly went down the wicket to pick up his first six, straight over long-on off Markram.
The skipper brought up his half-century off just 31 balls with a single down the ground of Digvesh Rathi (1/30) in the ninth over.
GT raced to 103 for no loss at the half-way mark.
Sudharsan, however, got a reprieve when Abdul Samad dropped him off Digvesh in the 11th over. He soon completed his fifty with a sweep to the fine leg boundary.
It was raining boundaries from both the batters to all parts of the ground as LSG bowlers appeared clueless.
LSG finally had the first breakthrough in the first ball of the 13th over, when Gill was caught brilliantly just inches from the long-on boundary by Markram off Avesh (1/32).
LSG struck another blow just after the final strategic timeout in the form of Sudharsan. Just after the break, the left-hander went for a lofted over extra cover of Ravi Bishnoi (2/36) but failed to get past Pooran, who took a fine catch.
Bishnoi struck again in the same over when Washington Sundar dragged one onto his stumps.
Jos Buttler failed to do much harm, falling to Rathi. Shardul was on a hat-trick in the final over but missed out on feat. (PTI)
