Gill, Buttler guide Gujarat Titans to seven-wicket win over LSG

Gujarat Titans defeated Lucknow Super Giants by seven wickets in the IPL. Prasidh Krishna’s 4/24 restricted LSG to 164, before Shubman Gill (56) and Jos Buttler (60) powered GT’s chase. Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia finished the job

Lucknow: Skipper Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler backed up Prasidh Krishna’s excellent four-wicket burst with flamboyant half-centuries, guiding Gujarat Titans to a comfortable seven-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants in an Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.

Prasidh shone with figures of 4 for 24 as GT restricted LSG to 164 for eight, and then the visitors rode on Gill (56) and Buttler (60) to chase down the target with eight balls to spare. The Titans finished at 165 for three.

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GT started brightly with Gill and Sai Sudharsan stitching 45 runs off 31 balls before the latter was dismissed by Digvesh Rathi, caught by Avesh Khan at fine leg.

Buttler grabbed the chance offered to him by LSG skipper Rishabh Pant, who dropped him off Rathi in the eighth over.

Thereafter, it was the Gill and Buttler show, as the duo dismantled the LSG attack with brute force.

The pair shared 85 runs for the second wicket off just 58 balls and took the attack to the opposition bowlers.

Gill made 56 off 40 balls with six fours and one six, while Buttler returned to form with a well-executed fifty.

Gill gloved a Prince Yadav bouncer to Pant while trying to pull, and Buttler departed an over later, caught brilliantly by Aiden Markram at long-on off Mohammed Shami.

Washington Sundar (21 not out) and Rahul Tewatia (10 not out) anchored GT home from there.

Earlier, sent into bat, Markram made 30 off 21 balls, but Mitchell Marsh (11), Pant (18) and Ayush Badoni (9) failed to deliver.

Markram started brightly, finding the fence at will and hitting five boundaries and one six. Marsh welcomed Kagiso Rabada with a six and a four before falling in search of another big hit, caught by Gill at mid-off.

Pant began with a boundary but was dismissed by Mohammed Siraj in the fifth over, scooping a catch to Tewatia at mid-off.

Markram smashed Prasidh for back-to-back boundaries before being caught by Sundar at cow corner. Badoni too perished early, miscuing a pull off Prasidh to Glenn Phillips at deep midwicket.

Nicholas Pooran (19 off 21) was unusually slow, though he hit two consecutive sixes off Rashid Khan in the 14th over. Abdul Samad (18 off 22) and Mukul Choudhary (18 off 14) also failed to make an impact. George Linde (16 off 10) played a short but useful hand.

Besides Prasidh, Ashok Sharma (2/32), Siraj (1/19) and Rabada (1/54) were the other wicket-takers for GT.