Lucknow/UNI: Gujarat Titans pulled off a Herculean comeback against Lucknow Super Giants at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium here on Saturday.
Opting to bat first, Gujarat put on 135/6 and in reply, Lucknow could manage just 128/7.
Skipper Hardik Pandya came out to bat on No.3 after an early wicket and took the onus on himself to build the innings on a difficult wicket to bat.
Wriddhiman Saha, playing his 150th IPL match, ensured the boundaries came at regular intervals and kept the scorecard ticking.
The duo added a crucial 68-run partnership before Saha was dismissed just short of a well-deserved half-century. Despite losing two more wickets in a short period of time, Hardik kept his calm and negated the threat using all his experience.
The skipper then went on to up the ante towards the end, stepping on the accelerator in the 18th over. He smashed a four, followed by two sixes off Ravi Bishnoi to bring up his half-century, following up with another big six in the final over off Marcus Stoinis.
Gujarat ended with 135/6 in 20 overs with the skipper leading by example. He scored 65 off 50 deliveries before getting dismissed in the final over.
After the break, GT did not get the ideal start in the powerplay, but just the way he always does, Rashid Khan picked up a wicket against the run of play. He toppled Kyle Mayers with one of his classic leg-breaks, taking his wicket tally to 12 in six matches this season.
KL Rahul and Krunal Pandya threatened to take the game away in double-quick time with their partnership, but our spin department fought back in style. It began with Noor Ahmad outfoxing Krunal, followed by the wicket of the dangerous Nicholas Pooran.
The required run rate, which was below 5.50, crept up above seven going into the final three overs and Mohammad Shami delivered a match-winning penultimate over. He gave away just five runs in the 19th over and Mohit Sharma rolled back the years with an unforgettable final over.
Mohit dismissed the LSG skipper to turn the game completely in our favour in the final over and followed it up with another big wicket from Marcus Stoinis. Our fielders delivered two terrific run-outs in the next two deliveries as we stormed our way to a memorable win.
Brief Scores
Gujarat Titans 135/6 in 20 overs (Hardik Pandya 65, Wriddhiman Saha 47) beat Lucknow Super Giants 128/7 in 20 overs (KL Rahul 68, Mohit Sharma 2/17, Nood Ahmad 2/18).
