Gautam Gambhir and his team Lucknow Super Giants’ campaign in the Indian Premier League 2023 came to an end on Wednesday (May 24) with a humiliating defeat against Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator.
The Krunal Pandya-led side were thoroughly outplayed by Mumbai Indians as they bowed out at the playoffs stage for the second year in a row. Last year too, Lucknow Super Giants’ campaign ended after a defeat in the Eliminator against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Against Mumbai Indians, they flopped with both bat and ball as Mumbai Indians dumped them out of IPL 2023. The architect of the 81-run win for Mumbai Indians was their young fast-bowler Akash Madhwal who registered stunning figures of 5 for 5.
Chasing 182, Lucknow Super Giants were on 69 for 2 at one stage before Krunal Pandya’s dismissal opened the floodgates. They lost their last seven wickets for just 32 runs to be all out for 101 inside 17 overs. During the disastrous batting display, only Marcus Stoinis (40) managed to cross the 20-run mark while only 3 batsmen managed to touch the double-digit mark.
Gautam Gambhir reacts to thumping loss:
Hours after the match ended at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Lucknow Super Giants mentor Gautam Gambhir, on Thursday (May 25), took to Twitter to react to the loss. As usual, the former India batsman was upbeat even after the loss as he vowed that LSG would bounce back next season, writing:
“Down but not defeated! Big thanks to the fans for showing immense love. We’ll be back! ❤️❤️”
Down but not defeated!
Big thanks to the fans for showing immense love. We’ll be back! ❤️❤️ #LSGBrigade pic.twitter.com/Cwcts8AinL
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) May 25, 2023
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians will now lock horns against reigning champions Gujarat Titans for a place in the final. The winner of the second Qualifier will take on Chennai Super Kings in the final on Sunday (May 28) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
