Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul lauded the bowling unit after they successfully defended 163 runs against Gujarat Titans at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Sunday. LSG registered their third win on the bounce as they won by 33 runs and it was their first win against GT in five meetings.
LSG bowlers were right on the money as they bundled out the opposition at 130. Yash Thakur was the chief destroyer as he bagged his maiden five-wicket haul in the IPL – 5/30. Thakur provided the first breakthrough as he bowled GT captain Shubman Gill, who was well-settled, with a jaffa. The right-arm pacer bowled with guile and made the most of the conditions.
The 25-year-old also accounted for Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewati, Noor Ahmad, and Rashid Khan in his fine spell. Furthermore, Krunal Pandya returned with impressive figures of 3-11 in his quota of four overs.
Pandya got rid of Sai Sudharsan and Sharath BR in the ninth over to put LSG on top. Moreover, Ravi Bishnoi took a one-handed blinder of his bowling to dismiss veteran batter Kane Williamson.
LSG have been brilliant with the ball and they have successfully defended totals in the last three matches.
KL said in the post-match presentation, “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 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.
He added, “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. 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 next take on Delhi Capitals at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Friday.
