Live Report: Marsh ton gives LSG consolation win against Gujarat Titans

Is that the game? Maybe not yet. But this is a massive blow for GT. Gill was looking as sublime as ever. He had scythed Avesh for four earlier in the over. This time he tried to take the aerial route. It was a full delivery but the bat slightly rotated in Gill's hand, leading in a slice to the left of long-off. Abdul Samad put in a sprint sideways and dived to complete the catch.

Sherfane Rutherford is the new man in.

Sudharsan had cut the previous ball over covers for a four. So Will O'Rourke bowled this one slightly fuller. Sudharsan went for a drive but was a touch early into the shot. As a result, the ball went in the air and Markram dived forward from mid-off to complete a low catch.

That brings Jos Buttler to the crease. One more wicket here and LSG will have the game in their pocket.

Gill and Sudharsan have shown time and again that there is more than one way to skin a cat. They are yet to hit a six but have collected eight fours in the first four overs, Gill a couple of them with his trademark half-pull.

After four overs, GT have reached 42 for no loss.

GT have the most consistent top order in IPL 2025. Each of their top three has 500 or more runs, at an average of 50-plus and a strike rate of 150-plus. Their combined average in the tournament is 62.17; LSG are a distant second at 40.51.

In GT's last game, against Delhi Capitals, Gill and Sudharsan had chased down 200 on their own. Can they do it once? They have started strongly once again and have taken GT to 33 for no loss after three overs.

Mitchell Marsh’s 117 off 64 balls powered Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to a mammoth 235 for 2 against Gujarat Titans (GT) on a black-soil pitch in Ahmedabad. He was well-supported by Nicholas Pooran, who smashed an unbeaten 56 off 27, and Aiden Markram, who contributed 36 off 24.

It was a slippery start for GT after they inserted LSG after winning the toss. Arshad Khan slipped twice in his delivery stride in the second over of the innings. Two overs later, the ball seemingly slipped out of Kagiso Rabada’s hands. Markram took evasive action but Hawk-Eye deemed it to be a legal delivery. It would have been 2cm below Markram’s waist at the batting crease.

In between, Marsh and Markram had a few mis-hits but also found some boundaries. By the end of the powerplay, LSG had reached 53 for no loss.

With two right-handers in the middle, Shubman Gill introduced R Sai Kishore into the attack before Rashid Khan. Marsh hit two sixes off his first eight balls but the spinner did break the stand soon after with Markram’s wicket.

Rashid Khan came into the attack in the 12th over. Before this game, Marsh had scored only 31 off 33 balls against him. Tonight, he went 6, 4, 6, 4, 4, 1 in his first over.

Gill took the gamble of giving Sai Kishore an over with Pooran in the middle. It did not come off as Pooran farmed the strike and hit one six and one four in four balls off the spinner.

After a 91-run stand with Markram, Marsh added 121 off just 52 balls along with Pooran. Marsh brought up his hundred off 56 balls – his first in the IPL and second in all T20 cricket.

Marsh fell for 117 but Rishabh Pant gave a glimpse of what-if. He faced just six balls but sent two of them over the boundary line to remain unbeaten on 16.

Marsh's innings finally comes to an end. He hit Prasidh Krishna for back-to-back sixes in the 18th over, and went for another big hit against Arshad. But Arshad had angled this across Marsh, who could only slice it towards deep-backward point where Rutherford took a good catch diving forward.

Marsh walks back for 117 off 64 balls.

Only three runs had come off Arshad's first four balls but Pooran pulls the fifth into the stands. Arshad finishes the over with a bouncer that Pooran fails to connect. Buttler felt there was an edge but GT have no reviews left.

It is his first hundred in the IPL and only his second in all T20 cricket. It has come off 56 balls. He takes a single off the final ball of the over to get to 101, his highest T20 score.

Pooran, meanwhile, is on 49 off 22.

In his first three overs, Siraj has conceded just 17 runs. But in his fourth, Pooran hit him for two fours and six, with Marsh also chipping in with a boundary. In all, 20 came from it.

LSG 180/1 after 16. They are looking good for 225!

Gill gives Sai Kishore another over with Pooran in the middle. Marsh was on strike for the first ball. He hits it towards deep extra cover. A second run is on but Pooran says he wants strike, so they settle for one. Sai Kishore bowls one on good length wide outside off, trying to stay away from Pooran's hitting arc. Because if a spinner bowls full, Pooran invariably sends it for a straight six, like he did against Rashid on the first ball of the previous over.

Against Sai Kishore, he flat-bats it over covers for four. A single is on offer on the next ball as Pooran hits it towards long-off but he wants to make the most of this match-up. So he refuses the single. The next ball is fast and into the pitch, cramping Pooran this time. But he backs away slightly for a straight six. Sai Kishore goes for a yorker next up and Pooran cannot get under it. This time he takes a single.

Rashid finally comes into the attack, in the 12th over. The first ball is short, dragged down. Marsh rocks back and sends it deep into the stand beyond deep midwicket.

Then he cuts him, lofts him, pulls him and drags him before taking a single on the final ball. Rashid's first over costs 25.

Before this over, Marsh had scored just 31 off 33 balls against Rashid in all T20 cricket, although he has never got out to Rashid.

Marsh hasn't looked in complete control but whenever he has middled the ball, it has travelled. As per ESPNcricinfo's logs, his control percentage has only been 59. But he has brought up his fifty off just 34 balls, a straight six off Sai Kishore takes him to the landmark.

Sai Kishore was introduced into the attack before Rashid Khan because of the presence of two right-handers in the middle. And he eventually provides the breakthrough. After being hit by Marsh for that six, he goes over the wicket to Markram. It's a tactic he has had success with against Jitesh Sharma earlier in the tournament. Here, too, he gets the reward. Markram tries to go aerial down the ground but gets holed out at long-off.

Nicholas Pooran is the next batter in. He devours left-arm spin and duly launches Sai Kishore over long-off straightaway.

In the fourth, Marsh too survives a tough return catch in the fourth over. Just like Siraj, Kagiso Rabada had little time to react.

If Arshad slipped in his delivery stride, the ball slipped from Rabada's hand on the last delivery of the over. It was a high full toss straight at Markram. Every TV umpire would have ruled it a no-ball under the playing conditions at international level. But in the IPL, every batter's waist height has been measured. And the Hawk-Eye says it was below that mark for Markram. So a legal delivery.

In Rabada's next over, the last of the powerplay, Markram clatters him for back-to-back sixes. Rabada ends the over with a bouncer, an effort delivery. Markram is early into the pull and the ball flies towards short third off the shoulder.

It's been a mixed start for Markram. He got off the mark by crashing Mohammed Siraj through covers for four on the very first ball of the match. He did the same against Arshad too. But in the third over, he survived two tough chances off Siraj. He wasn't to the pitch first ball and pushed it uppishly towards short midwicket. It went low to Sai Kishore who could get only fingertips to it. Later in the over, he smashed one straight at Siraj. It didn't stick.

After eight runs in the first over by Mohammed Siraj, Arshad Khan runs in from the other end. He jumps in his delivery but the landing is far from perfect. His back foot slides along the ground and he slips. He seems to have hurt his right shoulder but gets up after a quick check by the physio. His first delivery is a leg-side wide. His first legal delivery has been dispatched by Aiden Markram to the cover boundary. Two balls later, Mitchell Marsh launches him for a six in the same direction - that's the shorter side.

Before his fifth delivery, Arshad slips again. Apparently, the landing ground is too grassy. A couple of GT players rough it up with spikes. The last two balls are smooth. But as soon as the over is done, Arshad is off the field and is getting his right leg strapped.

By the way, GT are wearing their lavender kit to raise awareness about cancer.

Toss Gujarat Titans chose to bowl vs Lucknow Super Giants

Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to bowl first against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Ahmedabad.

“Leading into the playoffs, we want momentum on our side,” GT captain Shubman Gill said. “For that, these two games are very important.” GT fielded an unchanged side. If they win tonight, they will take a big step towards confirming a top-two finish.

“We would have also bowled first,” LSG captain Rishabh Pant said. “We know where we stand but we will try to pick up things for the next season.”

LSG made multiple changes. To start with, Himmat Singh and Shahbaz Ahmed were part of the batting XI. Pant also said Akash Singh was part of the side. Currently, he is one of the Impact Player options and could play a part in the second innings.

Digvesh Rathi, who is serving a one-match ban after accumulating five demerit points for excessive celebration, missed out.

The match is being played on a black-soil pitch with an even covering of grass. It’s expected to be a high-scoring pitch. One square boundary is 61 metres, the other 67. The straight boundary is slightly longer, 70 metres.

Gujarat Titans: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Sherfane Rutherford, 4 M Shahrukh Khan, 5 Rahul Tewatia, 6 Rashid Khan, 7 Kagiso Rabada, 8 Arshad Khan, 9 R Sai Kishore, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Prasidh Krishna

Impact Player options: B Sai Sudharsan, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Washington Sundar, Dasun Shanaka

Lucknow Super Giants: 1 Mitchell Marsh, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 4 Nicholas Pooran, 5 Ayush Badoni, 6 Himmat Singh, 7 Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Akash Deep, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Will O'Rourke

Impact Player options: Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Singh, M Siddarth, Arshin Kulkarni, David Miller

If GT win tonight, that will be a big step towards sealing a top-two finish. After that, they need just one more result to go in their favour. Their destiny is in their hands. They have to beat Chennai Super Kings in their last league game. If not that, they will hope either RCB or PBKS lose one of their remaining games.

For more details, you can check our scenarios piece.