IPL 2025: Pooran, Markram help LSG seal impressive win over GT

Lucknow: Lucknow Super Giants stopped the winning run of IPL table toppers Gujrat Titans on Saturday, securing their second home win this season by six wickets before a huge crowd at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium here.

Gujarat Titans openers Sai Sudharsan (56) and skipper Shubman Gill (60) raised a 120-run partnership, promising a huge total. But once LSG pacer Avesh Khan ended the stand by having Gill caught, the home team reined in the scoring to restrict Titans to 180/6.

Chasing 181 at a strike rate of 9.05, LSG batters never let the Titans bowler dictate terms, winning with three balls to spare. Ayush Badoni, as Impact Player, sealed it with a four and six off Sai Kishore’s successive deliveries, leaving the 45,000-odd fans celebrating.

With Mitch Marsh opting out due to personal reasons, skipper Rishabh Pant opened the innings with Aiden Markram. The two set the tone, stitching together 65 runs in 38 balls. Pant, who had struggled having scored just 19 runs in the previous five matches, showed a glimpse of his attacking prowess, hitting an 18-ball 21 with four fours.

However, the stars of the day were South African Markram and Trinidadian Nicholas Pooran, who both struck half-centuries to underline their utility for the side. Markram dealt in boundaries in a 31-ball 51 (9×4, 1×6), his second fifty of the season. For Pooran (61 – 34b, 1×4, 7×6), it was his fourth half-century of the season. They added 58 runs for the second wicket before both fell in succession. It didn’t matter as Delhi-boy Badoni smashed 28* in 20 balls (2×4, 1×6).

GT started as favourites, having won four games on the trot to top the points table. It was a good start for them too after being asked to bat and Gill and Sudharsan seemed to have set it up nicely. But the second time-out in the 13th over slowed GT’s scoring and the middle order batters couldn’t cash in. LSG took control, conceding just 45 off the last 30 balls with GT managing only 60 runs in the last eight overs.

Gill and Sudharsan added 54 runs in the Powerplay after Sudarshan got the innings on its way with a four off the first ball he faced off Shardul Thakur. Pacer Akash Deep was then hit for 13 runs in his first over and Avesh Khan gave away 10 runs in the sixth over. Gill was in fine nick, playing shots even while coming down the track swiftly.

Though mystery spinner Digvesh Rathi managed to push Gill and Sudharsan on to the backfoot, bowling in the Powerplay as well as in the death, both struck fifties. Sudharsan (56 – 37b, 7×4, 1×6) brought up his fourth fifty in six innings this season, soon after Gill (60, 38b, 6×4, 1×6) raised his second fifty of IPL 2025.

Gill fell to a cutter from Avesh, holing out to long-on, and in the next over Sudharsan was caught by Pooran off Ravi Bishnoi, who also removed Washington Sundar in that over. Sherfane Rutherford (22, 19b, 3×4) and Shahrukh Khan (11*, 6b, 1×67) lit up the innings a bit, but two wickets in consecutive deliveries in the last over by Shardul Thakur didn’t allow GT to post big.

Markram, Player-of-the-Match, was pleased with his form. “You always want to start the competition ahead of the game, but I fell slightly behind. A change in role, so I was adjusting to that. It couldn’t come off in the first few, but grateful for the last couple of knocks,” he told the broadcaster.

“Schedules are packed so you’re just hopping around playing lots of cricket. Lots to take in but ultimately you stick to your game. Some guys hit sixes for fun, but that’s not my game. The surface was slightly on the slower side under the hot sun. We were expecting a change after 10 overs in our innings but with the lights on, it got better. We have to keep in mind that batting first, it can be tough in day games here.”