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NEW DELHI - Well, Gujarat Titans really let a golden chance slip through their fingers to lock in a top-two spot on the IPL points table. Instead, it was the Lucknow Super Giants who walked away with a morale-boosting 33-run win on Thursday, even if it was just a consolation victory for their campaign. The undisputed star of the show? Mitchell Marsh, who absolutely lit up the ground with his first-ever IPL century.
Marsh was on another level, smashing a breathtaking 117 runs off just 64 balls. His incredible knock powered LSG to a huge total of 235 for 2. Chasing that kind of score was always going to be a mountain to climb for the Titans. Despite a reasonably strong start, they couldn't keep up with the required rate and were eventually held to 202 for 9 in their 20 overs. A special nod goes to New Zealand pacer Will O'Rourke. He was brought in as a replacement for the injured Mayank Yadav and made an immediate impact, grabbing 3 wickets for just 27 runs – a crucial performance in LSG's bowling effort.
After the win, LSG's team owner, Sanjiv Goenka, shared a warm message on social media. He congratulated his team and skipper Rishabh Pant on bouncing back to winning form and gave a shout-out to Will O'Rourke, welcoming him to the Super Giants family. Goenka also beautifully acknowledged Gujarat Titans' initiative of wearing lavender jerseys, calling it "a strong message of solidarity in the fight against cancer and a powerful reminder of how sport can unite us for greater causes."
Despite the victory, LSG captain Rishabh Pant was candid about their season. He admitted that inconsistency and letting chances slip away had cost them a spot in the playoffs. "We talk about playing good cricket, and we've shown we can do that at times," Pant said. "There were moments in the tournament where we had our chances to make the playoffs, but we didn't quite get there. That's just part and parcel of the game."
Pant also highlighted how injuries, particularly to key bowlers like Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, and Mayank Yadav (who only managed two games), had really hurt their campaign. "Coming into the tournament, we had a lot of injury concerns," he explained, "but we made sure it's something we wouldn't talk about." He felt the batting unit performed well overall, though the fielding could have been better. "We can't make excuses," he stated, "we just want to learn and move on."
Congratulations to @LucknowIPL and @RishabhPant17 on getting back to winning ways. Great performance by William O’Rourke, the newest member of the Super Giants family.
— Dr. Sanjiv Goenka (@DrSanjivGoenka) May 22, 2025
An inspiring initiative by @gujarat_titans to continue the tradition of stepping out in lavender, a strong… pic.twitter.com/0SEX7hjSux
Against the Titans, Pant believed LSG delivered one of their most complete performances of the season. Marsh's explosive century laid the perfect foundation, and the bowlers then did their job by dismantling GT's top order early in the powerplay to really take control. "It was always going to be about getting their top three out quickly," Pant concluded. “Shahrukh played well and gave them some hope, but we knew the target was well above par. Credit to our bowlers – they held their nerves brilliantly.”
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