GT vs LSG: Lucknow skipper Krunal Pandya rues conceding too many runs

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper Krunal Pandya rued giving away far too many runs after suffering a 56-run thrashing at the hands of defending champions Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday.

IPL 2023: Full coverage | Points table | Schedule | Results | Orange Cap | Purple Cap​

GT, led by Krunal’s brother Hardik, rode on solid contributions from openers Shubman Gill (94 not out) and Wriddhiman Saha (81) to post a commanding 227/2 on the board in Ahmedabad. Though Quinton de Kock kept LSG in the hunt with a destructive 41-ball 70, they eventually fell way short with Mohit Sharma running through their batting lineup with a haul of 4/29.

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IPL 2023: GT complete season double against LSG with 56-run win

Krunal felt Lucknow could have chased a target closer to 200 than 228 the way they batted in the afternoon fixture of the Sunday double-header.

“We gave too many runs in the first innings. When it’s 227, you have to go hard every over. The surface played really well. The batters said it was a good wicket to bat on. Had we restricted them to 200-210, we would have had a chance,” Krunal said during the post-match presentation.

In Photos: GT complete season double against LSG with 56-run win

Hardik, too, thought Lucknow were going toe-to-toe with Gujarat at the start of their 228-run chase until Rashid Khan’s superb catch near deep backward square leg to dismiss Kyle Mayers for 48 and break the 88-run opening stand changed the course of the match.

“Can’t ask for anything better, especially after playing post a day’s gap and in the afternoon. Rashid’s catch changed the game, we started controlling the game. Both teams were driving at 100kph but that wicket caused a bump,” said Hardik during the post-match presentation.

The match at the Narendra Modi Stadium, meanwhile, was the first time in the history of the IPL in which the two captains were brothers. Krunal and Hardik had played multiple seasons together at Mumbai Indians under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy before parting ways ahead of the 2022 season. In the end, there was no love lost between the two siblings from Baroda despite the events of the game.

“You don’t dream of captaining your side in IPL or facing Hardik but the family is happy. Mom was saying two points will come home in the end anyway. There’s so much of love between me and Hardik. There’s leg pulling but it happens only a couple of minutes,” said Krunal, the older of the two.

“I don’t think there’ll be bragging rights with Krunal. Our love is too strong, I hope he does well. I’d have been happier if things had gotten closer and he had some bragging rights too,” Hardik signed off.

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