No, it's not a niggle or a surprise tactical call ¡ª Mitchell Marsh is missing from the Lucknow Super Giants¡¯ (LSG) line-up today for a far more personal reason. The Aussie star, who¡¯s been smashing it with the bat this IPL season, is giving tonight¡¯s match against Gujarat Titans (GT) a miss to be with his unwell daughter.
Marsh has been in top form, racking up 265 runs in just five matches, making him LSG¡¯s second-highest scorer so far. But when family calls, cricket takes a back seat. LSG skipper Rishabh Pant shared the update at the toss.
¡®Instead of Mitchell Marsh, Himmat Singh comes in. His daughter is not well,¡¯ Pant confirmed.
With Marsh unavailable, Himmat Singh has been drafted into the playing XI. The uncapped player will be hoping to seize his moment under the spotlight, especially with a strong opponent like GT.
Gujarat Titans also made one change. Captain Shubman Gill revealed that Washington Sundar replaces Kulwant Khejrolia.
¡®I would have bowled first as well. I don¡¯t think the wicket is going to change much. Everyone is contributing, that¡¯s been one of the hallmarks for us,¡¯ said Gill.
Lucknow Super Giants: Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Himmat Singh, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi.
Gujarat Titans: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, R. Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj.
After a flying start that saw them at 120 without loss in just 12 overs, Gujarat Titans were pulled back brilliantly by LSG¡¯s bowlers. Ravi Bishnoi and young spinner Digvesh Rathi turned the tide with key breakthroughs, while Avesh Khan and Shardul Thakur kept things tight at the death.?
Thakur grabbed two wickets in two balls in the final over, nearly bagging a hat-trick. GT eventually finished on 180/6, with Sai Sudharsan noting the pitch isn¡¯t the easiest to bat on ¡ª making for an intriguing chase ahead.