Gujarat Titans Begin IPL Journey With A 5-Wicket Win Over Lucknow Super Giants

Rahul Tewatia smashed 40 off 24 balls at a strike rate of 166.67 including five fours and two sixes.

Some solid finishing skills by Rahul Tewatia powered Gujarat Titans (GT) to a five-wicket win against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the fourth match of the IPL 2022 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. 

Chasing 159, Titans lost Shubman Gill and Vijay Shankar early in the powerplay - courtesy of some outstanding bowling by Dushmantha Chameera. Captain Hardik Pandya and Mathew Wade helped Gujarat recover from the poor start and added 57 runs for the third wicket in 48 balls. 

Pandya looked in great touch as he scored 33 off 28 balls with the help of five fours and a six before his brother Krunal got him caught at the boundary. Soon Wade also got out on 30 as GT score read 78/4 in 12 overs. 

David Miller and Rahul Tewatia counter-attacked for the fifth wicket partnership, adding 60 runs in 34 balls. Miller smacked 30 in 21 balls, including one four and two sixes. Avesh Khan got him out in the 18th over as Lucknow looked to make a come back into the match. 

But Abhinav Manohar and Tewatia finished the game off with two balls to spare. Tewatia remained unbeaten on 40 from 24 balls with the help of five fours and two sixes while Manohar hit three boundaries during his 15-run cameo off seven balls. 

Earlier, Deepak Hooda and Ayush Badoni helped Lucknow recover from a horrific start and reach 158/6 in the first inning. 

Mohammad Shami rattled the LSG top order with a brilliant powerplay bowling. Super Giants were 29/4 in 4.3 overs before Hooda and youngster Ayush stitched an 87-run stand for the fifth wicket in 68 balls to bring the team back into the game. 

Hooda scored 55 off 41 balls including six fours & two sixes while Ayush made 54 in 41 balls with the help of four fours and three sixes. Krunal Pandya scored 21 off 13 to help Lucknow go past the 150-run mark and set a competitive total of 159. 

Brief Scorecard: 

Lucknow Super Giants - 158/6 
Gujarat Titans - 161/5 in 19.4 overs