We put up a spirited batting performance but went down fighting against Lucknow Super Giants in a high-scoring Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

Chasing 236, Shahrukh Khan slammed a blazing fifty (57 off 29 balls), along with contributions from Sherfane Rutherford (38), captain Shubman Gill (35) and Jos Buttler (33) which kept us in the hunt, however, it wasn’t enough as we fell short by 33 runs.

Earlier, our bowlers had a challenging day at the office as the Super Giants posted 235/2 in their 20 overs.

Despite the defeat, we are still placed at the top of the IPL 2025 standings with 18 points from 13 games.

While it was not the result we wanted on the field, it was a special game for us as we were able to raise awareness around the early detection and access to better healthcare for those fighting cancer through our Lavender jersey initiative.

SaiKi provided first breakthrough

Our boys in lavender were off to a challenging start as Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh added 91 runs for the opening wicket.

Later in the 10th over, Sai Kishore provided us with the much-needed breakthrough as our left-arm spinner dismissed Markram for 36.

Arshad claimed huge wicket

Despite best efforts from our bowlers, Mitchell Marsh (117) and Nicholas Pooran (56 not out) forged a 121-run stand for the visitors.

In the penultimate over, our left-arm pacer Arshad Khan bagged the huge wicket of Marsh as the Super Giants later posted 235/2 in their 20 overs.

Gill, SaiSu provided blazing start

Chasing 236, our consistent opening duo of captain Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan got us off to a brilliant start. 

Orange Cap holder Sai Su slammed three boundaries in the first two overs, before Gill led from the front as he hammered Akash Singh for a hat-trick of fours in the third over.

Our stylish opening pair continued hitting some scintillating shots as we raced to 46 runs before Sudharsan fell in the fifth over.

Buttler, Gill continued the momentum

Jos Buttler soon announced his arrival at the crease as he clobbered Avesh Khan for two sixes and two fours to amass 21 runs in the sixth over. We were 67/1 at the end of the powerplay.

At the other end, Gill also hit some exquisite shots before he departed for a quick-fire 35 in the eighth over. Skipper Gill’s knock included seven boundaries.

Buttler, who looked in great touch, was then dismissed for 33, laced with three fours and two maximums.

Shahrukh, Rutherford stitched crucial partnership

At 96/3 in the 10th over, Shahrukh Khan joined Sherfane Rutherford at the crease. Our Titans, Shahrukh and Rutherford played some counter-attacking cricket to put the pressure back on the LSG bowlers.

Our flamboyant duo smashed the bowlers to all parts of the ground to rack in some big overs, which kept us in the hunt. 

Shahrukh and Sherfane established an 86-run stand for the fourth wicket before our Caribbean southpaw departed for 38.

Proud of our effort, we’ll bounce back

Later in the 17th over, Shahrukh notched up his fifty off just 28 balls, his second half-century in the IPL, which included five fours and three sixes.

In the final few overs, we lost a cluster of wickets in search of quick runs.

Despite an incredible fightback from our batters, we fell short by 33 runs.

Having already sealed the IPL 2025 playoffs berth, we will look to quickly bounce back against Chennai Super Kings in our final home game on Sunday to secure a top-two finish.

Brief Scores: Lucknow Super Giants 235/2 in 20 overs (Mitchell Marsh 115, Nicholas Pooran 56 not out; Sai Kishore 1/34) beat Gujarat Titans 202/9 in 20 overs (Shahrukh Khan 57, Sherfane Rutherford 38; William ORourke 3/27) by 33 runs.