In a thrilling Indian Premier League match on Sunday, Hardik Pandya and his team, the Gujarat Titans, emerged victorious over Krunal Pandya’s Lucknow Super Giants by a whopping 56 runs.
This was the first-ever IPL match featuring two teams captained by brothers. Krunal won the toss and elected to field at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad, where the two brothers hugged and joked before the game began.
However, the mood turned serious as Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill put on a destructive opening partnership of 142 runs, propelling Gujarat to their highest-ever IPL total of 227-2. Saha, the diminutive wicketkeeper-batsman, was the star of the show, smashing sixes and fours to reach his fifty in just 20 balls before falling to Avesh Khan.
Hardik and Gill continued the onslaught, but the former was dismissed by Krunal after making 25 runs off 15 balls. Gill, who struck his fourth fifty of the season, then teamed up with David Miller to pile on the runs and take Gujarat Titans to the fourth-highest team total of the year.
In response, Lucknow put up a spirited chase led by Kyle Mayers and Quinton de Kock. Mayers began strongly, hitting Hardik for three consecutive boundaries and taking on Mohammed Shami in a 19-run over. However, Mohit Sharma broke the opening partnership and later took down dangerous Australian batsman Marcus Stoinis to put Gujarat in control.
De Kock reached his fifty in his first IPL appearance of the season but was ultimately bowled by Afghanistan spin wizard Rashid Khan. Krunal, on the other hand, had a forgettable outing, getting out for a first-ball duck off Mohit, who finished with figures of 4-29.
Gujarat Titans performance:
Despite the spirited effort from Lucknow, Gujarat’s dominant performance secured their spot at the top of the 10-team table. The match provided a great spectacle for fans, especially with the unique dynamic of two brothers captaining opposing teams.
Also, read: Gujarat Titans won the Match against Rajasthan Royals by 9 wickets
