Lucknow, April 12 (IANS) A late flourish powered by cameos from the lower order helped Lucknow Super Giants post a competitive 164/8 in 20 overs against Gujarat Titans in the 19th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium here on Sunday.

After being put in to bat, LSG made a brisk start in the powerplay, racing to 60/2 despite losing early wickets. Mitchell Marsh set the tone with an aggressive 11 off just four balls before falling to Kagiso Rabada, while Rishabh Pant injected momentum with a breezy 18 off 11 deliveries, including a six and two boundaries, before Mohammed Siraj removed him.

Opener Aiden Markram then anchored the innings through the middle phase, striking a fluent 30 off 21 balls. He found regular boundaries and looked set for a bigger contribution, but Gujarat’s disciplined bowling struck back at crucial intervals. Prasidh Krishna, in particular, proved effective with his variations, dismissing Markram with a well-directed short ball to break a promising stand.

The middle overs saw LSG lose momentum as wickets fell in clusters. Ayush Badoni (9) and Nicholas Pooran (19 off 21) struggled to accelerate, with the latter managing only two sixes in an otherwise scratchy knock before falling to Prasidh. Abdul Samad (18 off 22) too failed to convert his start, as Gujarat tightened their grip with a mix of pace-off deliveries and hard lengths.

At one stage, LSG were reduced to 120/6 in the 17th over, staring at a below-par total. However, a late surge led by Mukul Choudhary, George Linde and Mohammed Shami provided a much-needed boost. Mukul chipped in with 18 off 14 balls, including a six, while Linde’s quickfire 16 off 10 deliveries, featuring three boundaries, injected momentum in the death overs.

The final over proved particularly fruitful, yielding 18 runs as Mohammed Shami capped off the innings with a six and a boundary, while Avesh Khan added a four to push the total past the 160-mark.

For the Titans, Prasidh was the standout performer with figures of 4/28, consistently troubling the batters with his change of pace and short-ball strategy. Rabada was expensive, conceding 54 runs in his four overs despite picking up a wicket, while Siraj (1/19) and Ashok Sharma (2/32) chipped in with timely breakthroughs.

Despite a strong start, LSG’s inability to build sustained partnerships in the middle overs kept them in check. However, their late acceleration has ensured they have a fighting total on the board, setting up an intriguing chase in the second innings.

Brief Scores: Lucknow Super Giants 164/8 in 20 overs (Aiden Markram 30, Nicholas Pooran 19; Prasidh Krishna 4-28, Ashok Sharma 2-32) against Gujarat Titans.

–IANS

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