Gujarat Titans continued their winning streak in the Indian Premier League (IPL) by defeating Lucknow Super Giants by 56 runs in Ahmedabad on Sunday. With eight wins in 11 matches, the defending champions are at the top of the table with 16 points, getting closer to the playoffs. The Titans set their highest-ever total of 227 for two, thanks to a franchise record 142-run partnership between Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha, who scored 94 and 81 not out, respectively. In response, Lucknow Super Giants started strongly, scoring 102 for one at the halfway mark, but faltered in the second half, scoring 171 for seven in 20 overs, unable to keep up with the required run rate.
Kyle Mayers and Quinton de Kock played aggressively, knocking off 50 runs from the target in just four overs. Mayers hit three consecutive fours off Hardik Pandya, while de Kock hit two fours and Mayers hit a six and a four in Mohammad Shami’s over. Rashid Khan caught Mayers off Mohit Sharma’s ball in the ninth over, breaking the opening partnership at 88. However, de Kock continued to dominate, hitting a six off Hardik to take LSG to 102 for one halfway through. But LSG’s middle order crumbled against the Titans’ tight overs, and the team was unable to hit even a single four in overs 11-14.
Gill and Saha set the pace for the Titans by adding 142 runs for the first wicket in just 12.1 overs, setting a franchise record for the highest partnership for any wicket. Saha hit four sixes and ten fours in his 43-ball knock, while Gill finished with seven sixes and two fours in his 51-ball knock, narrowly missing a maiden IPL century. The Titans also broke their overall record of most runs in the powerplay by scoring 78 runs in the first six overs, with Saha hitting two fours and a six in Mohsin Khan’s first two overs, and Gill hitting a six over long-on off Krunal Pandya. GT captain Hardik Pandya played a useful cameo, hitting two fours and a six to make 15 off 25 balls, while David Miller hit a couple of fours and a six to make 21 not out of 12 balls.
