Mumbai: Abhinav Manohar (15 n o, 7b, 3×4) hit pacer Avesh Khan for two boundaries on the first two deliveries of the 20th over to secure a maiden IPL win for Gujarat Titans (GT) against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) here Monday. Then Rahul Tewatia (40 n o, 24b, 5×4, 2×6) hit the winning boundary to take GT over the line with two balls to spare.
It was indeed an emphatic win, but at one point Gujarat Titans looked set to lose the plot. A number of batsmen like Mathew Wade (30, 29b, 4×4), skipper Hardik Pandya (33, 28b, 5×4, 1×6) and David Miller (30, 21b, 1×4, 2×6) got starts but failed to cash in. So there was a time in the game when Gujarat Titans were on the verge of throwing it away.
Dushmanta Chameera (2/22) and left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya (1/17 off 4 overs) shone with the ball for Lucknow. But they lacked support from the others.
Earlier Deepak Hooda (55, 41b, 6×4, 2×6) and Ayush Badoni (41b, 4×4, 36) smashed belligerent half centuries to help Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) post 158 for 6 wickets against Gujarat Titans (GT) in their maiden IPL match here Monday. The two were instrumental in scripting a recovery for LSG after they had been reduced to 29 for the loss of four wickets within the fifth over. The two put on 87 runs for the fifth wicket to take their side to a position of some respectability.
Gujarat Titans pacer Mohammed Shami (3/25) bowled a fiery opening spell to knock the wind out of LSG’s top order before Hooda and Badoni brought things on track and helped the team post a 150-plus total. Shami produced one of most breath-taking spells in the IPL, to leave Lucknow reeling at 29/4 in the fifth over.
After Hooda was trapped in front of the wicket by Rashid Khan (1/27) in the 16th over, Badoni upped the ante and played shots at will. Krunal Pandya also chipped in with an unbeaten 21.
Hardik Pandya, playing his first game since the T20 World Cup last year, conceded 37 runs in four overs. Badoni went after him in his final over that went for 19 runs.
Varun Aaron picked two wickets (2/45), but was expensive.
Brief Scores: Lucknow Super Giants 158 for 6 in 20 overs (Deepak Hooda 55, Ayush Badoni 54; Mohammed Shami 3/25) lost to Gujarat Titans 161 for 5 in 19.2 overs (Rahul Tewatia 40 n o, Hardik Pandya 33) by five wickets.
