Mitchell Marsh smashed a record-breaking innings for Lucknow Super Giants, shattering the fastest century in the franchise's IPL history.
His fiery knock, combined with pacer William O'Rourke's clinical 3-27 spell with two crucial wickets in the 17th over, helped LSG coast to a 33-run win over table-toppers Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday.
Batting first on a black surface, Marsh set the stage for a huge total by blasting a breathtaking 117 off 64 deliveries. Studded with ten fours and eight sixes at a strike rate of 182.81, his innings took LSG to a potent 235/2. GT's innings legendary top order collapsed too early, and though an 86-run association between Shahrukh Khan and Sherfane Rutherford tried to give a fightback, the hosts were restricted to 202/9 at the end of 20 overs. After this scoreline, LSG achieved a hefty season double against Vavir Gujarat.
Marsh was unrelenting on anything loose, unleashing brutal power-hitting to bring up his maiden IPL century. One of the highlights of his knock was an over from Rashid Khan that went for 25 runs. He received strong support from Aiden Markram (36 off 24), while Nicholas Pooran, promoted to number three, contributed a blistering unbeaten 56 off 27, including four boundaries and five sixes at a strike rate of 207.41.
GT's bowlers experienced a difficult evening as the pitch considerably favored batsmen. Marsh and Markram together scored seven boundaries to reach 53 runs in the powerplay, although Marsh had two dropped chances. Arshad Khan also had a poor beginning, slipping twice in his run-up, although he finished his full allotment of overs later.
Marsh increased the temperature after the powerplay, hitting six boundaries between the 7th and 10th overs, and completed his fifty in 34 balls with a straight six from R Sai Kishore. Although Kishore got rid of Markram, Pooran took charge soon, belting him for a six over long-off.
Rashid's comeback during the 12th over was foiled as Marsh went haywire, sending him for 25 runs with a series of forceful shots. Pooran continued the procession, and both of them plundered 20 runs off Mohammed Siraj's last over. Pooran and Marsh also extracted 8 runs from Arshad before Marsh completed his hundred in 56 balls.
Marsh hit Krishna for two successive sixes in the 18th over before he cut a ball from Arshad to backward point, finishing with a 121-run partnership off just 52 balls with Pooran. Rishabh Pant completed the match in style by hitting Rabada for two sixes off the last over, as LSG recorded their third-highest total in IPL history.
Gujarat's response started on a promising note as Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan struck eight fours in the initial four overs, of which five were by Gill. Following Sudharsan's cut off O'Rourke for a boundary, the pacer replied with a fuller ball which evoked a mistimed drive, caught low at mid-off.
Jos Buttler was menacing right from the beginning, extracting 20 off Avesh Khan in the final powerplay over, but his pyrotechnics were cut short when Akash Singh—in a previous injury—bowled him with a slower ball that went through the gate. Gill, on the other hand, fell trying an aerial shot off Avesh, only to see the ball cut to long-off, where a sharp edge was caught.
Akash Singh, who had broken the webbing of his right hand, greeted Buttler's dismissal with a sharp "notebook" gesture in honor of Digvesh Rathi, who had missed the game owing to suspension for earning demerit points. GT lost their top three by the halfway point.
Requiring 139 runs from the last ten overs, Shahrukh and Rutherford kept GT in contention. They punished Avesh and Shahbaz Ahamad for 17 and 19 runs from the 14th and 15th overs respectively, and then another 17-run over against Akash Deep.
But O'Rourke came back to tear down the chase. He took out Rutherford first with a misplaced flick picked up by replacement fielder Ravi Bishnoi, and then dismissed Rahul Tewatia in the same over. Shahbaz added to the tally by getting rid of Arshad Khan, and Avesh finalized the victory by catching Shahrukh (who had made a quick 57 from 22 balls) with a low full toss at cover.
Match Summary:
Lucknow Super Giants: 235/2 in 20 overs
(Mitchell Marsh 117, Nicholas Pooran 56*; R Sai Kishore 1-34, Arshad Khan 1-36)
Gujarat Titans: 202/9 in 20 overs
(Shahrukh Khan 57, Sherfane Rutherford 38; William O'Rourke 3-27, Ayush Badoni 2-4)
Result: LSG won by 33 runs.
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