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Marsh century helps Lucknow best Gujarat in high-scoring IPL clash

rugby22 May 2025 18:43| © MWP
By:Ross Roche
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A superb maiden IPL century from Mitchell Marsh powered the Lucknow Super Giants to an imposing total that they were able to defend comfortably in securing a 33-run win over the Gujarat Titans in a high-scoring encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday night.

Marsh crunched his way to 117 off 64 balls, slamming 10 fours and eight sixes, to lead his team to an impressive 235-2 batting first after the Titans had won the toss and chosen to bowl.

Marsh was backed up fantastically by Nicholas Pooran, who hammered an unbeaten 56 off 27 (4x4; 5x6), while Aiden Markram continued his solid form at the top of the order, hitting 36 off 24 (3x4, 2x6).

The Gujarat response was littered with starts, Sharukh Khan top scoring with 57 off 29 (4x4; 5x6), while Sherfane Rutherford, 38 off 22 (1x4; 3x6), captain Shubman Gill, 35 off 20 (7x4), and Jos Buttler, 33 off 18 (3x4, 2x6), all enjoyed cameos, but it wasn’t enough.

The Gujarat chase was always behind the eight ball, as their top order all got going, but none were able to stay in and maximise like Marsh to seriously threaten the imposing target.

Openers Sai Sudharsan, 21 off 16 (4x4), and Gill got things off to a decent start with 46 off 4.3 overs, before Sudharsan chipped Will O’Rourke to Markram at mid-off.

Buttler and Gill then combined to add 39 to the score, but at the end of the eighth over Gill clubbed Avesh Khan to a diving Abdul Samad at long off, and in the 10th over Buttler was deceived by a slow inswinger to be bowled by Akash Singh as they slipped to 96-3.

That brought Rutherford in to join Sharukh, and they brought their side back into the match with a superb 86-run partnership off just 40 balls.

But Rutherford’s wicket, at the start of the 17th over, caught by Ravi Bishnoi off O’Rourke, started a procession that saw Gujarat lose six wickets for 20 runs over the final four overs to fall well short in the end, although Sharukh did reach a well deserved 22-ball fifty among the flurry of wickets.

O’Rourke was the pick of the bowlers with 3-27 off his four overs, while with the game done Ayush Badoni was handed the ball for the last over and bowled two tailenders for figures of 2-4 off his solitary over.

MARSH TAKES CENTRE STAGE

Earlier in the match the Lucknow innings got off to another great start thanks to in-form openers Marsh and Markram, as they shared in a 91-run partnership in just under 10 overs.

Markram was the initial aggressor, as 53 came off the six-over powerplay, before Marsh stepped up and took centre stage.

An action packed ninth over saw Marsh reach his half century with a straight six back over the head of bowler Sai Kishore, but a few balls later Gujarat had the breakthrough as Markram but found Sharukh on the long on boundary, leaving them on 91-1 in the 10th over.

That brought Pooran in and along with Marsh they slammed their side into a position of dominance, with a 121-run stand off just 52 balls.

Pooran immediately set the tone, hitting his first ball for six, before both batters took apart the bowling attack as they raced to 160-1 after 15.

In the 17th over Marsh brought up his maiden IPL hundred, pumping Arshad Khan back over his head for four, before knocking a single to deep point to reach the landmark off 56 balls.

Pooran reached his fifty with a single in the 18th over, before Marsh finally fell in the 19th, skying Arshad to Rutherford, but by then they were sitting pretty on 212-2.

Pooran still managed to hit a couple of lusty blows, along with captain Rishabh Pant, 16 of six (2x6), as they added an unbeaten 23 off the last eight balls of the innings.

GUJARAT TITANS: Shubman Gill (capt), Jos Buttler (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, Will O'Rourke

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