Lucknow Super Giants are on a roll. Saturday’s six-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans at their home ground in Lucknow was their third consecutive triumph and they have prevailed in four out of their last five matches.

The match was billed as a battle between the top orders of both the teams but LSG prevailed courtesy an explosive 61 off 34 balls by Nicholas Pooran which included seven sixes and one boundary.

The destructive Pooran made the 181-run chase look easy. He has been the differen­ce between the teams.

The Titans did try to make a comeback with a couple of wickets in the last five overs but young Ayush Badoni showed composure with his unbeaten 28 off 20 balls to clinch victory with three balls remaining. Badoni sealed it with a four and a six off consecutive deliveries.

Fearless approach

The absence of Mitchell Mar­sh forced LSG to promote skipper Rishabh Pant to open the innings with Aiden Markram. They added 61 in the Powerplay overs before Pant was dismissed by Prasidh Krishna.

Markram made 58 off 31 balls but it was Pooran who rushed the home team towards the finish line. The West Indies lefthander began by launching into Rashid Khan, dismissing the full-pitched googly over his head for a six.

There was no let-up as Wa­shington and Sai Kishore conceded 12 and 24 runs, respectively, in their opening overs.

Mohammed Siraj was also hammered for a six and a boundary in the 13th over.

Pooran’s fourth half-century in six innings this season came off 23 balls. But his penchant to go over the top led to his dismissal as he holed out to long on once Rashid held back the length slightly.

Middle-order fumble

Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan had given the Titans a flourishing start with a 120-run opening stand but the middle-order floundered as LSG bowlers led by Ravi Bishnoi staged a comeback.

Once Gill and Sudharsan holed out in the 13th and 14th overs, respectively, the Titans managed only 60 runs off their last eight overs with 45 coming off the last five.

Mystery spinner Digvesh Rathi showed discipline and control in the Powerplay as well as in the death to put a leash on the run rate. He could have dismissed Sudharsan on 46 had Abdul Samad dropped him at short cover.

Bishnoi bounced back after leaking 27 runs in his first two overs by dismissing both Sudharsan and Washington in his third.

Bishnoi and Rathi had combined figures of 8-0-66-3.

Phillips out

Titans’ all-rounder Glenn Phi­llips has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to a groin injury. He has returned home.