Five-star Thakur helps LSG seal third straight win

The Lucknow Super Giants easily secured victory against the Gujarat Titans with Yash Thakur's five-wicket haul. Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Lucknow lost five wickets in the stipulated 20 overs but managed to score 163 runs. In response, Gujarat faltered, losing wickets early in their innings and was dismissed for 130 runs with seven balls remaining.

Lucknow's target of 164 runs on their home ground seemed challenging for Gujarat from the outset. Without losing any wickets, the team faced a setback with both openers back in the pavilion. The fall of Shubman Gill's wicket added to their woes as the captain returned for 19 runs.

In the next over, Ravi Bishnoi's stunning catch dismissed Williams, and Gujarat started losing wickets rapidly. Despite Sudarshan Sai's efforts, scoring 31 runs off 23 balls, he too fell victim to Ravi Shankar, leaving Gujarat struggling at 61 for 4.

The absence of batting support compounded Gujarat's woes. Vijay Shankar and Darshan Nalkande tried to revive their innings but fell for 12 and 17 runs respectively. Pandya and Yash's onslaught further decimated Gujarat, with Pandya sending Nalkande back for 12 runs and Yash dismissing Vijay for 17 runs in the same over.

With Pandya and Yash accounting for three wickets each, Gujarat found themselves in dire straits, losing 5 wickets for just 130 runs by the end of 18.5 overs.

Earlier, Lucknow suffered two early blows, losing Quinton de Kock for 6 runs and Devdutt Padikkal for 7 runs, both falling to Umesh Yadav. However, Lokesh Rahul and Marcus Stoinis led a comeback, building a crucial 100-run partnership. But with Rahul's departure for 33 runs, the partnership couldn't fulfill its potential, leaving the team at 91 runs.

Stoinis departed after scoring 50 runs off 43 balls, and the innings concluded with Ayush Badoni scoring 20 runs off 11 balls and Nicholas Pooran's unbeaten 32 runs off 22 balls. Despite losing 5 wickets, Lucknow managed to halt their innings at 163 runs.