Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper KL Rahul talked about the win his team registered over Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He stated that he would take the win but wouldn’t read much into their record of defending the target.
Lucknow Super Giants won their third consecutive game of the IPL 2024 as they thumped Gujarat Titans by the margin of 33 runs at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. It was a sensational effort from the KL Rahul-led side, in particular the bowlers, who won the game from a difficult situation.
It wasn’t a great outing with the bat for Lucknow Super Giants as they managed just 163 runs. Marcus Stonis (58) oozed his class with the bat while KL Rahul (33) and Nicholas Pooran (33*) played valiant hands as they posted a competitive total on the board.
Gujarat had a flying start as Shubman Gill (19) and Sai Sudharsan (31) added 54 runs for the opening partnership. It seemed that they would lose the game but Lucknow Super Giants bowlers pulled things incredibly well as they made a mockery of the opposition.
Yash Thakur was the pick of the bowlers as he bagged a five-wicket haul. Krunal Pandya returned with the figures of 3/11 whereas Ravi Bishnoi and Naveen-ul-Haq picked one wicket as they bundled out Lucknow Super Giants for 130 runs to win the game by 33 runs.
KL Rahul heaped rich praise on the young bowling lineup and stated that batting first allows their bowlers to asses the conditions better. He was hopeful of producing the same performances in the future. While speaking during the post-match presentation, he explained:
“We’ll take the win, I am not going to make too much out of it (on defending totals). For the young bowling unit we have, it helps when we bat first. They get an idea of how the wicket is playing and they’ve also been adapting really well. It’s a good record to have (defending all 160+ totals), but it’s also where we’ve played. Having the home advantage helps.
“The bowlers have come through the ranks over the last couple of years. you have seen the same guys bowling in the last season as well., They have adjusted to their roles. Hopefully we can continue this. We knew that it wasn’t as good as the wicket we played on (in the previous match here), also losing two wickets in the powerplay will set us back a bit.”
All three spinners have been key for us – KL Rahul
KL Rahul also talked about the performances of the spin trio in Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi and M Siddharth. He said that all three bowlers have been key for them. He also expresses his delight in for winning the first time over GT. He explained:
“Unless someone carries on to get 70-80, it was tough to achieve that 170-180. We just wanted to bat and see how much we can get. That’s the advantage you have when you are batting first. All three spinners have been key for us. Sid coming in this season has done really well, he plays a crucial part with the new ball, he’s shown great temperament.
“His job is to restrict the batters. KP (Krunal Pandya) is very experienced, he’s played IPL for so many seasons. Bishnoi has been around for so many years and keeps getting better. Feels good to get off the mark there (first win vs GT).”
Lucknow Super Giants will be next seen in action when they take on Delhi Capitals on 12th April.
