Images from the IPL 2025 match between Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Gujarat Titans messed up on a golden opportunity to seal a top two spot in the league table as Lucknow Super Giants earned a consolation 33-run victory riding on Mitchell Marsh's maiden hundred in the IPL 2025 match in Lucknow on Thursday.
Batting first, Marsh's brilliant 117 off 64 balls took LSG to a huge 235/2.
In the high-scoring contest, LSG's bowlers did well enough to keep Titans at bay, restricting them to 202/9 in 20 overs.
New Zealander Will O'Rourke, who has come in as Mayank Yadav's replacement, was the pick of the bowlers for LSG with figures of 3/27.
Shahrukh Khan (57 off 29 balls) did give LSG a scare with some lusty blows but that was never going to be enough in the end despite a riveting 86-run stand with Sherfane Rutherford for the fourth wicket in just 6.4 overs.
GT, who have already qualified for the playoffs, could have taken a giant leap towards top two finish by ensuring 20 points. They need to win their last match against Chennai on (May 25) Sunday to give themselves the best chance to finish in top two with both Punjab Kings and RCB also having a fair shot at the top two slot which could see them advance to the Qualifier 1 match.
GT made a bright start in the run chase with B Sai Sudharsan (21 off 16 balls) and skipper Shubman Gill (35 off 20 balls) stroking some crisp boundaries in the early overs.
However, the in-form Sudharsan couldn't convert the start as he was dismissed by O'Rourke and Gill was snapped brilliantly by Abdul Samad off Avesh Khan's bowling.
It was Jos Buttler (33 off 18 balls) who hit a couple of sixes but left-arm fast bowler Akash Singh, who split the webbing of his right hand, took pace off a floating delivery that breached the Englishman's defence.
Shahrukh and Rutherford (38) joined forces and the target that looked improbable till then suddenly started looking gettable.
The LSG bowlers, especially India Test specialist Akash Deep and his state team colleague Shahbaz Ahmed leaked runs while their ground fielding also was not up to the mark.
Shahrukh, who has a reputation in domestic white ball cricket for Tamil Nadu, hasn't been able to transform his potential into significant knocks over the years.
However on the day, he held his shape and punished pacers and spinners alike but the target was too much in the end.
Earlier, it was Marsh's maiden IPL century which came a trifle late but became the cornerstone of LSG's imposing score.
Marsh, who has already scored five half centuries this season, was slow off the blocks but then muscled the Titans bowlers with great gusto as he hit 10 fours and as many as eight maximums in his 64-ball-117.
As it has been a familiar story this season, LSG looked a different batting unit with their top three batters in Marsh, Aiden Markram (36 off 24 balls) and the mercurial Nicholas Pooran (56 not out off 27 balls) belting the Titans bowling unit clad in lavender jerseys.
Pooran's fifth fifty of the season came from just 23 balls.
Marsh and Markram added 91 for the opening stand in the front 10 and with Pooran, the Australain added another 121 runs for the second wicket in just 8.3 overs to beef up their team total.
In all LSG batters hit 17 sixes -- their highest in an IPL match.
The best part about Marsh's batting was his cleaning hitting -- both straight and square off the wicket. After completing his hundred, the disdain with which he dispatched the back of length delivery from Purple Cap holder Prasidh Krishna into the stands at midwicket was an absolute treat.
If that was not enough, Marsh's eighth six came off the very next delivery as he made room shuffling slightly towards leg-stump and lofted Prasidh down the ground.
Marsh's century came off 56 balls and he was very severe on left-arm spinner R Sai KIshore, who has otherwise, been parsimonious in this tournament.
He was put into the stands effortlessly with equal proportion of timing and muscle.
Finally, it was left-arm medium pacer Arshad Khan, who removed Marsh, who mistimed a delivery that was judged well by Sherfane Rutherford at deep backward point.
Rishabh Pant (16 not out off 6 balls), who has had a torrid season till date in his brief stay, hit a straight six off Kagiso Rabada to show signs of returning to form. The brief cameo included his signature 'no look' six over fine leg off Kagiso Rabada in the final over.
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