A nail-biting contest in Ekana ended in favour of the hosts as LSG got over the line with 3 balls to spare. Lucknow, despite their skipper Rishabh Pant not firing, registered their 3rd win on the trot. They move to number 3 on the points table with 8 points. Gujarat Titans' four-match winning streak is broken but they stay at the second place on the table.
This is Ajay Pal Singh signing off on behalf of my co-commentators AkshayaKrishna Polya, Akshay Bhide, and Pritam Dey, who, along with our scorer Paras Yadav and statistician Aman, brought you all the live action from this contest. Switch tabs to follow our coverage of the second game of this double-header Saturday, as Punjab Kings take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Goodbye for now 👋👋
Aiden Markram (POTM): "Yeah, definitely slow. You want to start the competition ahead of the game. Slight change of role and it probably is about getting accustomed to it. Didn't come off in the first few but grateful that last few knocks have been better.
Yeah, it can be a bit of both. Schedules are packed. Conditions are always changing. Guys can hit sixes for fun, it might not be my strength, so back what you are good at.
You can very easily. Initially in the competition, I thought I need to change my game and find a way to hit boundaries as often as they do. You have to stick to your game, if the team can benefit from it, it is good.
It did change a bit. During the hot sun, it was slow. We were expecting a change but under the lights, it played better. If we play a day game again, we have to keep this in mind. Finding partnerships will be ideal as batting gets better in the second innings."
Player of the Match: Aiden Markram
Rishabh Pant (Lucknow Super Giants Captain): "Definitely feeling happy. Just following the same path, believing in each other's ability and just taking one match at a time.
I think the idea was to bowl yorkers and into the wickets. The bowlers executed the plans well and it was good to see as a captain.
The way it went, I wasn't too happy in the beginning but it is a T20 game. You can be put under pressure but the way they pulled things back was amazing.
With every game, I am feeling better. Today, Marsh gave me opportunity. I thought the more I spent time on the wicket, it will help me. It is about a feel-good factor. It is a team game and eventually, you want to win games and put your best foot forward.
I think, one thing is for sure. We are happy to have Nicholas Pooran in our team. It is better to have him in your team rather than bowling to him. The way he has been batting is phenomenal."
Most Dot balls in the Match: Prasidh Krishna (11 Dots)
Most 4s in the Match: Aiden Markram (9 Fours)
Most Sixes in the Match: Nicholas Pooran (7 Maximums)
Fantasy King of the Match: Aiden Markram (130 Fantasy Points)
Super Striker of the Match: Aiden Markram (SR of 187.30)