LSG lost a game they should have won by 7 runs while chasing 136-run target.
Hardik Pandya won the toss and chose to bat first for a change and the captain led from the front on a sluggish pitch, scoring 66 runs in 50 balls with four sixes and two fours, and Wriddhiman Saha added 47 runs as GT recorded 135/6. Marcus Stoinis and Krunal Pandya each took two wickets for LSG.
In reply, while Kyle Mayers made 24 and Krunal Pandya contributed 23 runs, in the end, KL Rahul’s sluggish knock of 68 in 61 balls with 8 fours, proved to be fatal for the LSG team, as they couldn’t score the 12 runs needed in the last over.
They managed only 128/7 in 20 overs and lost the match by 7 runs. For GT, Mohit Sharma and Noor Ahmad were the picks of the bowlers with both getting two wickets each.
IPL 2023: WATCH- Hardik Pandya sledges brother Krunal during LSG vs GT match in Lucknow
After the match, Hardik Pandya, who had earlier sledged brother Krunal when he came to bat, met him and exchanged jerseys. The photos and videos of his meetup was shared by both franchises and Hardik Pandya on social media.
Check it out here:
GT captain Hardik Pandya was a happy man after the win as at one time it looked like LSG would canter to the win.
Talking in the after-match presentation, Hardik Pandya said: “Credit to the boys. We are a champion side, we won last year. You have to be satisfied with your results. The spirit and the atmosphere changed after getting wickets, that's a very great feeling. A win like this can boost your confidence. I think the way the wicket was playing, we could have got 10 runs more. There was uncertainty. They bowled well and made our life difficult. Batters couldn't get rhythm because of the wicket. During the strategic timeout we spoke about the set batter going for it towards the end. We were always chasing them, and never in it.
When they needed 30 runs in 30 balls, I thought they were ahead. But when they required 27 in 4 overs, I thought they were under pressure. That's where I thought we could be in the game. The way every bowler contributed, as a captain I couldn't have asked for.”
Pandya reserved special praise for Mohit Sharma who is playing the IPL after a gap of three years and has done incredibly well with the ball for GT.
“The amount of cricket he (Mohit Sharma) has played, I don't have to interfere. He made my life easy, he backed his plans and executed it. Shami and Mohit were tremendous, special mention to Jayant who was playing after a long time. Noor has some talent as well,” Pandya said.
(IPL inputs)