Pooran’s Fireworks Light Up Lucknow! LSG Steamroll to Third Win in a Row
Lucknow: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) continued their winning streak with a commanding six-wicket win over Gujarat Titans (GT) on Saturday at their home ground in Lucknow. This marked LSG’s third consecutive triumph and their fourth win in the last five matches of the IPL 2025 season.
The much-anticipated clash, hyped as a top-order showdown, saw LSG emerge on top thanks to a blistering 61 off 34 balls from Nicholas Pooran. The West Indies powerhouse smashed seven sixes and one boundary, making light work of the 181-run chase and emerging as the clear game-changer.
Despite a late fightback from Gujarat, who took a couple of wickets in the final overs, young Ayush Badoni held his nerve. His unbeaten 28 off 20 balls, capped by a boundary and a six off successive deliveries, sealed the win for LSG with three balls to spare.
Rishabh Pant Steps Up as Opener
In the absence of Mitchell Marsh, LSG promoted skipper Rishabh Pant to open alongside Aiden Markram. The duo gave LSG a solid start, adding 61 runs during the Powerplay. Pant was dismissed by Prasidh Krishna, but Markram continued the momentum with a rapid 58 off 31 balls.
Pooran’s arrival turned the match decisively. He wasted no time, taking on Rashid Khan by launching a full-length googly for a six and maintaining relentless pressure on Washington Sundar and Sai Kishore, who leaked 12 and 24 runs in their opening overs. Mohammed Siraj also felt the heat, conceding a six and a four in the 13th over.
Pooran reached his fourth half-century in six innings this season in just 23 balls. However, his aggressive approach led to his dismissal, as he was caught at long on after Rashid cleverly shortened his length.
Titans’ Middle-Order Collapse
Gujarat Titans started strong with a 120-run opening stand between Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan. But their middle-order couldn’t capitalize. Once both openers were dismissed in the 13th and 14th overs, GT faltered, scoring just 60 runs in the final eight overs—with only 45 coming in the last five.
LSG’s bowling unit, led by Ravi Bishnoi and mystery spinner Digvesh Rathi, played a crucial role in turning the tide. Rathi impressed with tight spells in the Powerplay and death overs, restricting the scoring rate. He nearly dismissed Sudharsan on 46, but a dropped catch by Abdul Samad gave the batter a reprieve.
Bishnoi, after an expensive start that saw him concede 27 runs in two overs, bounced back brilliantly. He took key wickets of Sudharsan and Washington Sundar in his third over. Together, Bishnoi and Rathi produced excellent combined figures of 8-0-66-3.
