Marsh 117 puts the brakes on GT’s top-two charge

Marsh 117 Puts the Brakes on GT's Top-Two Charge

Lucknow Super Giants put the brakes on Gujarat Titans' top-two charge in a high-scoring fixture in Ahmedabad. LSG's batting efforts took them to 235/2, but table-toppers nearly gave a fitting riposte. Despite fighting efforts from Sherfane Rutherford (38 off 22) and Shahrukh Khan (57 off 29), GT ended 33 runs short in the chase.

The Death Overs Difference

PowerPlay: Stirred and Shaken Start for LSG Openers

LSG openers endured a slightly scratchy start, scoring more than 50. Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram smashed three sixes, and besides that, both batters copped body blows off length deliveries that tailed into them, and yet got through the PowerPlay with their unbeaten stand intact.

Middle-Overs: Marsh, Pooran Punish Spin

Marsh settled LSG's nerves through the middle-overs, going after Prasidh Krishna and Sai Kishore to bring up a 33-ball half-century in the 10th over with a six. Nicholas Pooran walked out and hit his first ball for a six, and Marsh continued to take centre stage, even smashing Rashid for 25 runs in the 12th over.

Death Overs: Marsh Slams First-Ever IPL Ton

After blazing away through the middle, the LSG duo took it to the next level as only one over in the last five went for single-digit score. They began with a 20-run over against Siraj in the 16th. Arshad did not concede a six in the 17th and yet went for 14 as Marsh brought up his maiden IPL century.

PowerPlay: Routine Strong Start from GT

Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan went about business as usual to punctuate yet another PowerPlay with a glut of boundaries. The two, who lead the charts for fours this season, started off with intent against Akash Singh and Akash Deep.

Middle-Overs: Onus on Middle-Order after Rare Top-Three Failure

LSG pricked GT's season-long consistency. For just the second time this year, each of GT's top-three fell for a sub-50 score in the same game. Avesh bounced back from the earlier hammering to end Gill's stay – a sharp catch from Abdul Samad running in from long-off.

Death Overs: Double-Wicket O'Rourke Over Derails GT

Shahrukh Khan and Sherfane Rutherford were up for the challenge, albeit briefly, as they took quick runs off O'Rourke and Akash. Shahbaz Ahmed bowled a good quiet over for seven runs, but the two batters made up for it by smashing Avesh for 17 in the 14th over.

Brief Scores:

Lucknow Super Giants 235/2 in 20 overs (Mitchell Marsh 117, Nicholas Pooran 56*; Sai Kishore 1-34) beat Gujarat Titans 202/9 in 20 overs (Shahrukh Khan 57; William O'Rourke 3-27, Ayush Badoni 2-4) by 33 runs