Scores in brief: Gujarat Titans (165/3 in 18.4 overs) beat Lucknow Super Giants (164/8 in 20 overs) by seven wickets in Lucknow on Sunday. MAIN | SCORECARD
Rishabh Pant and Lucknow Super Giants have hit a wall they can’t climb and entered a maze they can’t get out of. If you’ve ever stepped inside Lucknow’s iconic Bhool Bhulaiya, you understand the suffocating feeling of being lost in an architectural marvel. It’s a masterpiece of design that quickly turns into a living nightmare the moment you realize you’re walking down the same corridors and hitting the same dead ends, despite all your desperate efforts to find the light.
Lucknow Super Giants seems to be going through exactly that. They slumped to their sixth home defeat on the trot when they failed to defend a slightly subpar total of 164 against Gujarat Titans on Sunday, April 12. They have now lost seven of their last nine matches at the Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium. Curiously, they found success on the road in Kolkata and Hyderabad at the start of the IPL 2026 season, but home comfort continues to elude them.
Their big guns, including captain Rishabh Pant, openers Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram and West Indies superstar Nicholas Pooran, flattered everyone to deceive. On a pitch that proved stubborn at two paces, Prasidh Krishna used his variations to devastating effect. The Gujarat Titans fast bowler ran riot and claimed four wickets by leaning on the slower-balling bouncers to drain the life out of LSG’s innings whenever they threatened to show a spark of momentum.
With the ball, Lucknow could not match the ingenuity of the Titans. Despite Mohammed Shami, Digvesh Rathi and Prince Yadav getting into the wicket column, they never really troubled Shubman Gill and his battalion. A composed 56 from Gill – his second consecutive fifties of the season – and a formidable 37-ball 60 from Jose Buttler saw Gujarat clear the target with seven wickets and eight balls to spare, climbing the scoreboard.
THE RIDDLE OF EKANA
The fight lacks a clear pattern. Unlike the real Bhool Bhulaiya, where familiarity and repetition are obstacles, Ekana has proved to be a puzzle that LSG can’t solve despite constant shuffling. At the start of the season, for example, they opted for a red-clog pitch only to bat on the flop, leading to a total of 141 that Delhi Capitals chased down in just 17.1 overs.
On Sunday, they tried a combination of red and black soil. While the surface offered extra bounce, the turn for spinners remained slow. For a batting line-up full of natural hitters, this slowness was a nightmare.
It played perfectly into the hands of Gujarat Titans who rely on anchors rather than straight enforcers at the top of their order. Look at history: they lost five of seven home games last year. Back then, they were beaten in high-scoring encounters; this time, despite a much improved bowling unit, the batting faltered.
There were somber faces in the stands as the contest drew to a close. Braving the scorching Sunday heat, the Lucknow faithful started streaming out of the stadium long before the final ball was bowled.
A TWO TECH BALL HIT ON THE FIELD
Earlier in the day, the Super Giants had only been saved from total collapse by the rearguards. They were reeling at 120 for 7 at the end of the 17th over as they lost their names to a short-ball plan that was brilliantly executed by the Titans attack.
The afternoon crowd gave a roaring welcome to Mukul Choudhary, the IPL’s latest breakout star who channeled his inner MS Dhoni with a rousing final act in Kolkata recently. The waiting crowd wanted more of the Mukul magic and momentarily got it. In the 18th over, he thundered Kagiso Rabada’s short ball into the stands with the same authority he displayed at the Eden Gardens.
However, the joy did not last long. Mukul was fooled by Prasidh Krishna, who took advantage of the two-tempo nature of the deck by mixing his natural pace with variations. The slower bowler kicked off the surface and left the young batsman swinging as he attempted a shot but managed to under-kick the keeper slightly. When Mukul returned to the pavilion disappointed, the silence was deafening. It was left
Mohammed Shami and George Linde struck some lusty blows in the last two overs to give the bowlers a total they could at least work with.
Linde, named as a replacement for Waninda Hasaranga last weekhe was called into the XI immediately to add depth to a fragile batting order. While chipping in with 16 off 10 balls, the South African all-rounder failed to replicate that impact with the ball.
THE BIG GUNS ARE FALLING AGAIN
It was a frustrating start for LSG. The engine, which relies heavily on an explosive top five, just couldn’t warm up. While Pant and Markram have crossed the 100-run mark for the season – thanks to fifty each – Marsh and Pooran are yet to arrive. Pooran was a particular disappointment, managing just 41 runs in four innings. His 19 off 21 balls on Sunday, at a strike rate of 90, was his second-lowest in the IPL when he faced 20 or more deliveries.
There was a distinct sense of recklessness in the way the older warriors fell. Marsh, who had hit a six and a boundary in Rabada’s first over, perished on the very next ball by hitting mid-on. The hinge was equally disappointing; after playing some eye-catching knocks, he lost his form trying to lift Mohammed Siraj in the powerplay and departed for 18. Markram did not convert his start, falling to Prasidha immediately after the powerplay, while Pooran was another victim of the slower bouncer who got stuck on the pitch.
LSG must quickly find a way out of this maze before the season runs out. There will be some relief as they travel to the batting paradise at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru for their next match on Wednesday, April 15. Maybe away from the shadows of Ekana they will finally find their rhythm.
On the other hand, Gill and the Titans sealed the momentum and bounced back with two wins after a slow start to the season. The former champions will enjoy a four-day break before welcoming the struggling Kolkata Knight Riders to Ahmedabad on Friday.
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Published on:
12 Apr 2026 19:35 IST
