Rishabh Pant made headlines by opening the innings for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and falling for a modest 21. Gujarat Titans (GT) slipped after a strong start, before an astonishing display of six-hitting from Nicholas Pooran powered the home team to a six-wicket win in a IPL 2025 match in Lucknow on Saturday. Aiden Markram, too, played a high-class knock for LSG.
Having aggregated 19 in the last five games batting at No. 4 — he didn’t bat in one of those — Pant went out to start the innings with Markram. He needed attention to his left ankle after facing five balls and survived a scare when on six from nine balls. Jos Buttler dropped a chance diving to his right off the bowling of Mohammed Siraj. The LSG captain, however, lasted 18 balls and holed out into deep on the leg side a ball after hitting Prasidh Krishna for a six.
Prasidh was the bowler to suffer when Arshad Khan dropped Markram at short third. The South African was on 28 and went to on to make a 31-ball 58. He provided the initial batting impetus, which led LSG to a fourth win in six matches and lifted them joint-top of the table. LSG and GT have played six each. Delhi Capitals are also on eight points after playing just four matches.
LSG have thrashed Gujarat Titans by 6 wickets at the Ekana Stadium! pic.twitter.com/S19dVKnZhr
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) April 12, 2025
Pooran was the player to watch as he continued his astonishing run in IPL 2025. He took the spinners to the cleaners and after hitting Rashid Khan and Washington Sundar for a six each, smashed R Sai Kishore for three more in his first over. The four he struck to bring up his 50 off 23 balls was his first hit which went to the boundary line after touching the ground. The left-hand batter from Trinidad is the leading scorer with 340 runs and has a strike-rate of 222-plus.
GT looked like making a total in excess of 200. They were 120/0 after 12 overs, with Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan going great guns. They treated the bowlers with disdain. Gill made 60 off 38, while Sudharsan brought up his fourth half-century of the season — 56 off 37. GT lost the plot soon after their departure.
Leg-spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Digvesh Rathi applied the brakes. Shardul Thakur also struck important blows. Shahrukh Khan and Sherfane Rutherford added valuable runs towards the end to help GT post 180. Due to the enterprise of Markram and Pooran, the LSG chase was under control. There were late alarms, but Ayush Badoni sealed it with a six in the last over.