"Down but not defeated!"- Gautam Gambhir after LSG's thumping loss against MI in Eliminator of IPL 2023
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mentor Gautam Gambhir expressed gratitude for all the support from fans after their IPL 2023 campaign ended on Wednesday, May 24. Mumbai Indians (MI) beat them clinically by 81 runs in the Eliminator of IPL 2023 last night.
MI batted first after winning the toss and reached a respectable total of 182/8. Cameron Green (41), Suryakumar Yadav (33), Tilak Varma (26), and Nehal Wadhera (23) provided useful contributions with the bat for MI. Naveen-ul-Haq (4/37) bowled a wonderful spell and picked up key wickets for the Lucknow side.
Akash Madhwal then destroyed LSG's batting lineup with a fiery spell (3.3-0-5-5). Lucknow Super Giants got skittled out for 101 in 16.3 overs and lost the match in a disappointing fashion.
After their loss, LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir took to his official Instagram handle and revealed that they would come back stronger next year. He wrote:
"Down but not defeated! Big thanks to the fans for showing immense love. We’ll be back! ❤️❤️ #LSGBrigade
I take all the blame for where we ended up: LSG captain Krunal Pandya
Speaking after the conclusion of the match, LSG captain Krunal Pandya accepted the blame for the loss. He opened up that they were in a decent position in the chase until he played a rash shot and departed in the ninth over. From 69/3 on the scoreboard at that juncture, Lucknow's batting line-up collapsed like a pack of cards and bundled out for 101.
Reflecting on the loss after the match, Krunal Pandya said:
"We were in a really good position. Everything started when I played that shot when it was not on and I take complete responsibility. We should have played better cricket there. I take all the blame for where we ended up. The wicket was good, it was coming nicely onto the bat. It played exactly how it did in the first innings. We had to bat better. We needed to take responsibility and play better cricket but we did not play that way.
On Quinton de Kock's exclusion from the playing XI for the match, Krunal added:
"It is always a tough decision. He is a world-class batter. It is just that Kyle had a better record here. We felt that we could go with Kyle. (On opening with spin) Their batters bat really well against pace so I thought we could bowl spin at the start.