Live report - LSG vs GT - Super Giants end Titans hoodoo

Lucknow Super Giants claimed their third win in a row, and first over Gujarat Titans in five attempts, with a fighting defence of 163 in Lucknow. Marcus Stoinis’ first half-century of the season provided the ballast after the home side had chosen to bat and, although Titans started well in their run chase, Yash Thakur claimed a maiden five-for to help demolish the innings.

The LSG batting effort was rarely fluent, captain KL Rahul and Stoinis opting for accumulation after Umesh Yadav had struck twice with the new ball. Both fell when looking to up the ante and it needed flashes of power from Nicholas Pooran plus a cameo from Ayush Badoni to get them up to a respectable score.

In their favour was the fact LSG had never been beaten defending a target of 160-plus. Titans looked set to threaten that record after racing to 54 without loss inside the powerplay, only for a stunning collapse of 8 for 48 to make it 13 from 13 for LSG. After Yash skidded one through Shubman Gill, Ravi Bishnoi’s spectacular caught-and-bowled dismissal of Kane Williamson provided the spark, while Krunal Pandya raced through his four-over allocation for figures of 3 for 11 as Titans imploded.

That they managed such a comfortable defence was even more remarkable given LSG lost the services of their new pace sensation, Mayank Yadav, after just a single over due to a side strain – the one sour note for Rahul’s team as they moved to six points and third in the table.

LSG are closing in now, with Yash Thakur's golden arm to the fore. Back on for his second over, having removed Gill earlier in the innings, he had Vijay Shankar caught behind swiping at a short ball and then Rashid Khan chipping to cover off a slower ball. Titans going down in Titanic fashion.

Krunal is into his fourth now and he has a third wicket, as Nalkande hoicks around the corner straight to short fine leg. He finishes with 3 for 11 from his allocation, and the asking rate for Titans has shot up to almost 12 an over.

Forecaster: Lucknow Super Giants 92%

This game has turned on its head. Titans are suddenly flapping like budgies, as Sai Sudarshan and BS Sharath both hole out in Krunal Pandya's first over. Bishnoi takes another catch, this one a lot more straightforward, on the deep square boundary to dismiss Sudarshan and the collapse becomes 4 for 7 in 18 balls when wicketkeeeper Sharath top-edges a sweep to deep backward square.

Forecaster: Lucknow Super Giants 69%

A fantastic return catch from Ravi Bishnoi and LSG are still in this! Kane Williamson, the Titans impact sub, departs for 1 from 4 balls after chipping one back to the bowler - although that undersells how hard a take it was for Bishnoi, who leapt to his right and stuck out one arm, managing to cling on as he thumped into the turf. Williamson was surely the man earmarked to steer a relatively small chase on a sticky pitch, but he's gone cheaply.

Just as this chase was beginning to look easy, Yash Thakur fires one through Gill and into the woodwork. It was full, straight and cross-seam, skidding on as Titans' captain attempted to flick across the line. But despite that dismissal, Gill's side are well placed at 54 for 1 at the end of the powerplay. M Siddharth has had problems with bowling no-balls, overstepping three times in the fifth over, while Sudarshan looks in fine touch on 29 from 18.

Forecaster: Gujarat Titans 80%

A steady start for Titans in their chase, Sai Sudarshan picking up a brace of boundaries in the second over off Naveen-ul-Haq. Time for Rahul to throw the ball to Mayank Yadav, whose brilliant start to his IPL career has included three-fors in both of his first two games (and an economy of less than 6). But things aren't going so smoothly for LSG tonight and Sudarshan helps himself to two more fours - driven down the ground and whipped through midwicket - before Shubman Gill gets going with a ramp wide of deep third.

Mayank's pace barely got above 140kph and he trudges straight off the field after finishing the over. Trouble for the home side...

An excellent final over from Spencer Johnson, conceding just eight runs despite being hit for six by Pooran second ball, means Gujarat Titans will need 164 to win here in Lucknow. The good news for the home side? They have won 12 out of 12 defending 160-plus scores in the IPL. Irresistible force meets immoveable object. The chase should be worth staying up for.

He has been impossible to get away and now Rashid Khan has his first wicket of the night. Ayush Badoni, having thumped two fours off Mohit Sharma in the previous over, decided to take on the slog-sweep but only picked out deep midwicket. But with Krunal Pandya getting off strike first ball, Pooran finally laid a glove on Titans' champion legspinner, heaving a massive hit over the leg side. He might have picked off another boundary against Rashid, too, but for some fine work on the long-on rope from Sai Sudharsan. LSG have brought up 150 with an over to go.

Rashid concedes just five off the 17th. Pooran attempted to smack his first ball from the legspinner down the ground and missed - LSG settling for singles thereafter.

Forecaster: Gujarat Titans 68%

Noor Ahmed conceded just one boundary from his four overs, which cost 22 runs - he should have had a wicket, too, with Stoinis dropped off a mishit on 43. Nalkande's wickets have made sure that mistake wasn't too costly, and LSG now have two new batters at the crease as we arrive at the death overs. Nicholas Pooran is a powerful spin hitter, striking at 185 so far this season, but he has had trouble against Rashid Khan in the past - scoring 27 off 43 balls faced. And guess who is going to bowl two of the last four...?

Marcus Stoinis had just registered his first fifty of the season and was looking to take down Nalkande's medium pace. The first ball of the over disappeared over wide long-on - just the fourth boundary since the powerplay - as Stoinis brought up the landmark mark from 40 balls, and the fourth went the same way with another clean swing across the line. Nalkande stuck to his guns, however, and made his second breakthrough of the night as Stoinis top-edged a hoick straight up. Titans successfully keeping a lid on things.

From 18 for 2 in the third over, the third-wicket pairing of Rahul and Stoinis had bolted together a stocky partnership worth 73 from 62 balls - but LSG's skipper now departs trying to take on Darshan Nalkande, brought on at fourth change by Titans. Rahul was looking to hit down the ground but it didn't come on to the bat and he was well held by Rahul Tewatia several yards in from the rope at long-on. A score of 33 off 31, with only three boundaries, tells you that it's hard work out there.

LSG lost two wickets but chalked up 47 runs, going at just a tick under 8 an over - and that despite an economical start from Rashid Khan. Going into this game, Giants had the second-best powerplay economy for the season (8.08). The trend has been for lower scores in Lucknow, albeit the home side won with a total of 199 for 8 in their first outing of the season. That this one is pretty evenly poised after the first six is reflected in ESPNcricinfo's Forecaster, which has things 54% to 46% for LSG.

He survived that first-ball lbw shout but doesn't last much longer. Devdutt Padikkal came into this match on the back of scores of 0, 9 and 6 for his new franchise, and this time he heads for the dressing room after edging Umesh Yadav to slip for 7. His previous two deliveries were a lofted drive over extra cover that would have gone for four but for a full-length dive from Gill and a swatted pull that did reach the boundary. But then came a flat-footed waft in the channel and LSG are two down early doors.

There's no big score to mark his IPL century, as de Kock departs in the opening over. Having carted Umesh Yadav high over the leg side second ball, he attempted to repeat the trick and sent a big leading edge spiralling to deep third. A lively over then sees Titans lose a review after using the DRS for an lbw appeal against Devdutt Padikkal first ball. Gill seemed unhappy that Nitin Menon chose not to use UltraEdge when determining the involvement of Padikkal's bat.

KL Rahul gets the option at the toss and the home side will be batting first - which could be crucial on a surfaces that is expected to get slower and lower. No changes for them. Shubman Gill, however, says Titans wanted to bowl first anyway. Two changes to the XI for the visitors, BR Sharath and Spencer Johnson coming in. Wriddhiman Saha is out with a back niggle. You can see what our experts, Mitchell McClenaghan and Tom Moody, think on Timeout.

Quinton de Kock has been in good form, with half-centuries in each of LSG's two wins... and tonight he's reached three figures before a ball has been bowled! Of the five teams he's represented, his record with LSG - average 37.61, strike rate 145.75 - is the best.