The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow ended with a 33-run win for LSG. This win marks LSG’s first-ever victory against GT in the IPL, as the two teams had faced each other four times in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, with GT winning all four games.

As GT reached 47 without losing any wickets in five overs during their pursuit of 164 runs, LSG was faced with a challenging task. The opening duo, Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan, confidently batted through the powerplay. Sudharsan, in particular, was in excellent form and quickly scored 31 runs. The opening partnership surpassed 50 runs and seemed to be steering GT towards another victory against LSG, but the hosts were able to make a comeback at this point.

The match began with Gill being dismissed by Yash Thakur in the sixth over. Kane Williamson was brought in as an Impact Player, replacing Mohit Sharma. The spinners from LSG team then applied pressure on GT team. After a series of dot balls, Ravi Bishnoi tempted Williamson to play a risky shot, resulting in a spectacular return catch taken by Bishnoi during his follow through in the eighth over.

In the following over, Krunal Pandya was the one to take out Sai Sudharsan after the left-handed batsman attempted a pull shot that landed in the hands of a fielder at deep square-leg. Shortly after, the new player, BR Sharath, was caught while trying to sweep the ball towards the square-leg area. As a result, GT’s score went from 54 without any wickets lost to 61 for four wickets down.

Following that, LSG’s bowlers took control of the match. Pandya had an impressive performance, taking three wickets for only 11 runs in four overs. However, the standout player for LSG was Thakur, who had the added responsibility after Mayank Yadav left the field after bowling just one over.

After successfully removing Gill during the powerplay, Thakur made a strong comeback to prevent any chances of GT’s recovery in the later part of the game. By taking the wickets of Vijay Shankar and Rashid Khan in the 15th over, LSG had gained complete control of the game. Thakur’s impressive figures of three for seven in just two overs solidified their dominance. Despite a valiant effort from Rahul Tewatia (30 off 25), he lacked support from his teammates and the required run rate continued to increase.

LSG ended the day on a high note as Thakur took down Tewatia and Noor Ahmad in the 19th over, earning his first TATA IPL five-wicket haul and securing LSG’s win.

At the midpoint, it may have been perceived that GT had the upper hand. However, considering their previous game against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the same location, LSG won the coin toss and opted to bat first. GT made some alterations, with Sharath taking the place of Wriddhiman Saha and Spencer Johnson substituting for Azmatullah Omarzai.

The LSG innings began with a strong start as Quinton de Kock hit a six in the very first over from Umesh Yadav, sending it high over the fine-leg area. However, Umesh quickly retaliated by getting de Kock caught at deep third-man. The situation worsened for LSG in the third over, when Umesh took the outside edge of Devdutt Padikkal’s bat, resulting in a catch at first-slip. With a score of 18 for two, LSG was in need of some stability.

The partnership between KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis proved crucial as they added 73 runs to the scoreboard. Both players effectively rotated the strike and managed to score boundaries, with Stoinis being the more aggressive one. However, during the middle overs, GT’s spinners successfully limited the scoring rate. In particular, Noor’s four-over spell was very economical as he only conceded 22 runs. Additionally, Rashid also chipped in with a wicket and gave away 28 runs.

In the final stages of the match, Nicholas Pooran’s powerful shots provided a much-needed boost for LSG, as they faced off against GT. Watch the live broadcast of the match on JioCinema and StarSportsIndia, either on your computer or mobile device. Join the excitement of TATAIPL and the LSGvGT match with the IndianPremierLeague on April 7, 2024.

LSG’s top scorer was Stoinis with 58 runs off 43 balls. As the game neared its end, LSG’s momentum was boosted by quick contributions from Nicholas Pooran (32 not out off 22 deliveries) and Ayush Badoni (20 runs off 11 balls). The most notable aspect of this late surge were the three sixes hit by Pooran, which played a crucial role in taking LSG’s total past 160. Ultimately, this proved to be more than sufficient for LSG to secure the win.

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