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LSG vs CSK IPL 2024: Ekana Stadium Pitch Report, Lucknow Weather Forecast & Live Streaming Info
IPL 2023: Another sticky afternoon pitch at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow made batting difficult for visitors Gujarat Titans (GT) who opted to bat first after winning the toss against home side Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Saturday. Shubman Gill getting out for 2-ball duck only increased the pressure.
In the absence of in-form Sai Sudharsan, Gujarat captain Hardik Pandya promoted himself to the crucial number three spot. He planned to play the sheet anchor role and did not disappoint. He first forged a 55-ball 68-run partnership with Wriddhiman Saha.
Saha scored 43 off 31 In the partnership as Hardik played second fiddle with 25 runs off 24 balls. Once the partnership was broken in the eleventh over, Gujarat lost Abhinav Manohar (3 off 5), Vijay Shankar (10 off 12) and David Miller (6 off 12) one after the other.
The scores of the three players once again affirmed the difficult nature of the slow pitch. However, Hardik maintained his calm and paced his innings brilliantly to help Gujarat post a respectable total.
The first 15 balls saw him score 9 runs (SR:60). On the next 15 balls, the right-hander scored 20 runs at a strike rate of 133.33. 12 runs off as many balls came off his blade next before the final flourish which saw him blast 25 runs off just 8 balls. The strike rate during the period was a stupendous 312.5.
Hardik's partnership for the fifth wicket with Miller accounted for 40 runs off 26 balls. The swashbuckling batter scored 34 runs off 16 balls this time. He was dismissed by Marcus Stoinis on the second ball of the final over.
Hardik smashed four sixes. Others in the team did not hit a single six. He has now scored nine thirty-plus scores as a captain since IPL 2022. Only KL Rahul (11) and Sanju Samson (10) have more thirty-plus scores as captains than him during the period.
The gritty and mature knock from the 29-year-old helped the defending champions post 135/6 in 20 overs. The all-rounder again proved his mettle by rescuing his team from a tough position. Last year, he scored 487 runs in 15 matches at an average of 44.27 and a strike rate of 131.26.
The fifty against Lucknow was Hardik's first of the ongoing season. He has scored 115 runs at an average of 23 and a strike rate of 121.05 in IPL 2023 so far.
