Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mentor Gautam Gambhir minced no words while assessing his team’s crushing 62-run defeat at the hands of Gujarat Titans (GT) at MCA Stadium, Pune on Tuesday (May 10).
The KL Rahul-led side restricted GT to a modest 144/4 in 20 overs but failed miserably with the bat, getting bowled out for a paltry 82 in 13.5 overs.
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After the game, Gambhir addressed the team at the dressing room and bluntly said that they were weak against the Titans.
"There is nothing wrong in losing. It is absolutely fine. One team has to win, one team has to lose. There is a lot wrong in giving up. Today, I thought we gave up. We were weak," Gambhir said in a video shared by the franchise on Instagram.
"Honestly, there is no place for weak in a tournament like IPL or in sport. That is where the problem is. We have beaten teams in this competition, we have played really good teams in this competition. But today, I thought, we lacked that game sense which was more important.
"We knew they bowled well, we expected them to bowl well. It's a world-class competition we play against international bowlers. We want people to challenge us, that is what we play the game for," he added.
It was a listless batting performance from LSG as no one managed to touch the 30-run mark. Deepak Hooda was the top scorer with 27 while seven of them got out for a single-digit score.
Leg-spinner Rashid Khan starred with the ball for Gujarat, claiming four wickets by conceding only 24 runs in his 3.5 overs. Sai Kishore (2-7) and Yash Dayal (2-24) also picked two scalps each while Mohammad Shami returned with impressive figures of 1 for 5 in his three overs.
Despite the heavy defeat, the Lucknow-based franchise still occupies the second spot on the points table with 16 points from 12 matches. They are one win away from booking their place in the playoffs and will take on Rajasthan Royals in their next clash on May 15.
