LSG vs GT IPL 2023 Highlights: Saha,Gill,Mohit Trio Help Gujrarat To Clinch Over Lucknow

LSG vs GT IPL 2023 Highlights: As soon as substitute Prerak Mankad made a deft running capture, Avesh Khan patted Wriddhiman Saha on the back. Sunday in Ahmedabad, Saha's innings was so impressive that the bowler immediately complimented him after his dismissal, which is a rare occurrence.

Saha's 81 off 43 balls was his quickest IPL fifty, and Shubman Gill's unbeaten 94 off 51 balls paved the way for Gujarat Titans' (GT) 56-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Kyle Mayers (48 - 32b) and Quinton de Kock (70 - 41b) guided the Krunal Pandya-led visitors to 171/7 in pursuit of 228 against the quality bowling unit of brother Hardik Pandya's side. The best bowler was Mohit Sharma, whose slower deliveries halted LSG's advance and earned him four wickets.

The afternoon consisted entirely of a display of classical batting in the sport's slam-bang format. Saha's boundary surge began with a shaky edge, but it didn't take long for his pulls and drives to pierce LSG's bowling.

The pull shot was particularly potent, assisting an Avesh short ball for six between the keeper and fine leg and also carrying Mohsin Khan's left-armer bumper from outside off beyond the square leg boundary. In the fourth over, when Mohsin went round the wicket, Saha drove him over long-off for 22 runs.

Such was Saha's dominance that 48 of his fifty runs off 20 balls hit over long-on came from boundaries. Gill, who was more of a bystander to Saha's 78-run Powerplay display, concluded it with a six over fine leg.

Krunal was forced to turn to Mayers and Marcus Stoinis after his all-Indian frontline attack — Naveen-ul-Haq was replaced by de Kock for his first game of the season — was pummeled. Mayers and Stoinis also conceded 16 and 20 runs, respectively.

In the ninth over, Gill targeted Ravi Bishnoi, hitting his leg spin over cover and googly straight back for sixes (his 29-ball 50 contained four sixes and no fours). After the 142-run partnership was interrupted by Avesh Khan at the beginning of the thirteenth over, LSG was able to gain some breathing room during relatively quieter overs. Hardik's momentum-building 15-ball 25 and Gill's sustained charge — his six off the first ball of the final over took him to 93 before he ran out of balls and energy — helped GT post 227/2.

Due to KL Rahul's injury, Mayers and de Kock provided LSG with a firm foundation. Except for the first over, they found at least two boundaries in each powerplay over. Hardik hit three consecutive fours, and Mohammed Shami conceded 19 runs in his second over. Mayers was smashing deliveries within his striking arc, while de Kock was producing fours behind the wicket. Even Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad, GT's early wrist-spinners, were not spared as LSG rushed to 72 runs in six overs.

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Rashid's brilliant catching and Mohit's deft change of pace put an end to Mayers, who had been dropped on 25 by Rashid. Rashid, while running diagonally and 26 meters from fine leg, slid, extended both hands, and caught the ball.

With the 88-run stand broken in the ninth over, GT crafted a five-over stint in the tenth, conceding just 28 runs and dismissing Deepak Hooda and Stoinis with a slower delivery from Mohit. De Kock was bowled by Rashid at the conclusion of the 16th over, with LSG still requiring 88 runs to win. Mohit's consecutive dismissals of Ayush Badoni and Krunal resolved the issue.