IPL 2026: Gujarat Titans dominate Lucknow Super Giants; claim comfortable victory

Lucknow: The Gujarat Titans rode some excellent bowling by pacer Prasidh Krishna along with half-centuries by Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler to comfortably defeat the Lucknow Super Giants by 7 wickets in an IPL 2026 clash here on Sunday. Batting first after losing the toss at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, LSG posted a total of 164 runs for the loss of 8 wickets. Gujarat chased down the target with ease, reaching the winning mark with 8 balls to spare.

Following two initial defeats, this marks Gujarat's second consecutive victory. The Lucknow Super Giants missed out on achieving a hat-trick of wins. Both teams currently stand tied with 4 points each from 4 matches played.

How did Lucknow Super Giants' innings unfold?

After losing the toss and batting first, Lucknow Super Giants posted a total of 164 runs for the loss of 8 wickets. Lucknow Super Giants' start was far from ideal; in just the second over, they lost the wicket of Mitchell Marsh, who fell to Kagiso Rabada. The pair of Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh could only manage a partnership of 14 runs in 1.3 overs. Marsh returned to the pavilion after scoring 11 runs off just 4 balls.

Subsequently, Markram attempted to stabilize the innings alongside captain Rishabh Pant, adding 31 runs for the second wicket off 16 deliveries. Pant contributed 18 runs to the team's total. Rishabh Pant appeared to be finding his rhythm, but Mohammed Siraj brought his innings to a halt. 

The team had lost its first two wickets by the time the score reached 45. Lucknow then suffered a third blow in the form of Aiden Markram who combined with Ayush Badoni to add 24 runs for the third wicket off 17 balls. Markram departed after scoring 30 runs off 21 balls—an innings featuring 6 boundaries—while Ayush Badoni contributed 9 runs to the team's tally. Markram lost his wicket to Prasidh Krishna while on a personal score of 30 runs. Prasidh Krishna then sent Ayush Badoni (9 runs) back to the pavilion as well. 

The Lucknow Super Giants had lost 4 wickets by the time their score reached 74. At the time of Badoni's dismissal, Lucknow's score stood at 74/4. From this juncture, Nicholas Pooran partnered with Abdul Samad to add 35 runs for the fifth wicket, guiding the team past the 100-run mark. During this phase, Pooran scored 19 runs off 21 balls. Nicholas Pooran's (19 runs) poor form continued, and he too was dismissed by Prasidh Krishna.

Subsequently, Abdul Samad fell as the sixth wicket; Samad (18 runs) was sent back to the pavilion by Ashok Sharma. Both Abdul Samad and Mukul Chaudhary returned to the pavilion after scoring 18 runs each. George Linde contributed 16 runs, while Mohammed Shami scored an unbeaten 12 runs off 5 balls. Prasidh Krishna was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 4 wickets for 28 runs, while Ashok Sharma took 2 wickets.

Mukul Chaudhary, the hero of the previous match, also proved to be a disappointment, managing to score only 18 runs. Then, Ashok Sharma sent George Linde (16 runs)—who had come in as the 'Impact Sub'—back to the pavilion. Due to the continuous fall of wickets, the Lucknow Super Giants were unable to post a substantial total. For the Gujarat Titans, Prasidh Krishna claimed four wickets, while Ashok Sharma picked up two. Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj took one wicket each.

How did Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler perform?

Gujarat Titans did not get off to a particularly good start in the run chase. Sai Sudharsan fell victim to Digvesh Singh Rathore with a personal score of just 15 runs. From there, Captain Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler forged an 84-run partnership off 58 balls. Shubman scored 56 runs off 40 balls, aided by 6 fours and a six. Shubman was caught behind by Rishabh Pant off the bowling of Prince Yadav.

As for Jos Buttler, he contributed 60 runs off 37 balls, an innings that included 11 fours. Jos Buttler's wicket was taken by Mohammed Shami. After Buttler's dismissal, Washington Sundar (21* runs) and Rahul Tewatia (10* runs) guided Gujarat Titans to victory.

What is head-to-head record of Gujarat and Lucknow?

So far, 8 matches have been played between the Lucknow Super Giants and the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League. During this period, the Gujarat Titans have won 5 matches, whereas the Lucknow Super Giants have emerged victorious in 3 matches. Two matches were played between the two teams last season, both of which were won by the Lucknow Super Giants.

What were the Playing XIs?

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (Captain), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (Wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Ashok Sharma.
Impact Sub: Shahrukh Khan.

Lucknow Super Giants: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper/Captain), Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Mukul Chaudhary, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Digvesh Singh Rathi, and Prince Yadav.
Impact Sub: George Linde.