GT vs LSG: “Had We Restricted Them Under 200, We Would Have Had a Chance”- Krunal Pandya on Loss vs GT

GT vs LSG: Sunday saw two exciting games of cricket in the 16th edition. The first match saw a contest between Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium. It was a high-scoring game, and GT registered a huge total batting first. Meanwhile, this was the first time in IPL history that two brothers captained the game against each other. It was Hardik Pandya leading Gujarat against Krunal Pandya captaining Lucknow.

It was LSG that won the toss and decided to bowl first. KL Rahul has been ruled out of the competition, and Quinton de Kock played his first game of the season. However, the decision to bowl first totally backfired on them. Both GT openers registered their highest opening partnership and added 142 runs for the first wicket in just 12.1 overs. Saha smashed the fastest half-century for Gujarat off just 20 balls. He scored a quick 81 off 43, with 10 fours and two sixes.

GT vs LSG: ‘We gave away too many runs and it’s 227″- Krunal Pandya

Hardik Pandya (25 off 15) and David Miller (21* off 12) also played cameos in the middle. Shubman Gill remained unbeaten on 94 off 51 balls, with two fours and seven sixes. As a result, GT posted their highest IPL total of 227/2 in 20 overs. That proved to be more than enough for Lucknow, as they fell short by 56 runs and lost an important game. After the game, the stand-in captain, Krunal Pandya, spoke about the loss and said that they gave up too many runs. He said,

“Yes 100% agreed. We gave away too many runs and it’s 227 and we were behind the eight ball. The surface was good but the last 6-7 overs it slowed down. Had we restricted them to 200 or less we would have had a chance.”

Furthermore, he also said that his father would be proud of both brothers. He also said that both he and Hardik share a good bond and always have healthy competition between them. Notably, that loss on Sunday has put LSG in a tricky position. They are left with three games against SRH, MI, and KKR, respectively, and need to win at least two of those three games to qualify for the playoffs. Lucknow is currently in third place with 11 points and a NRR of +0.294.