IPL 2023: Wriddhiman Saha clobbers 43-ball 81 versus LSG
What's the story
Gujarat Titans dasher Wriddhiman Saha slammed his 12th half-century in match number 51 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) against the Lucknow Super Giants.
He gave GT a fiery start and allowed the hosts to post a mammoth total of 227/2.
His 43-ball 81 consisted of 10 fours and four maximums.
This was the wicketkeeper batter's second fifty of this season.
Knock
A batting exhibition from Saha
Before this game, Saha has had a lukewarm season but he decided to change that against LSG.
He took on the pacers early on and allowed Shubman Gill to get set.
The duo gave GT a blazing start as they were 78/0 in the powerplay.
The duo continued the onslaught against the spinners and added 142 runs before Saha was dismissed by Avesh Khan.
Record
Saha's highest score inside the powerplay
Saha smashed 54 runs from 23 deliveries in the powerplay against LSG. This was his highest score inside the powerplay in his IPL career.
Here are his top five powerplay scores in the competition:
54(23) - GT vs LSG, today
52(23) - KXIP vs SRH, 2014
39(18) - GT vs SRH, 2022
37(23) - GT vs CSK, 2022
37(23) - GT vs MI, 2022.
Record
Fastest fifty for GT in the IPL
Saha reached his 50 in only 20 deliveries, making him score the fastest fifty in the IPL by a GT batter.
Fastest fifties for GT in the IPL:
20 balls - Wriddhiman Saha vs LSG in Ahmedabad in 2023
21 balls - Vijay Shankar vs KKR in Ahmedabad in 2023
24 balls - Vijay Shankar vs KKR in Kolkata in 2023
Stats
A look at Saha's IPL numbers
The 38-year-old played his 155th IPL match and has slammed 2,700 runs at an average of 25.47.
He also owns a strike rate of 128.75 along with 12 fifties and a solitary hundred.
His highest score of 115* came when he represented KXIP in the 2012 final against KKR.
In IPL 2023, Saha has smoked 338 runs in 11 matches (50s: 2).
Partnerships
Highest partnership for GT
Saha and Gill added 142 runs and notched the highest partnership in the IPL for GT.
Here are the top four IPL partnerships for GT:
Saha and Gill - 142 vs LSG in 2023
David Miller and Hardik Pandya - 106* vs RR in 2022
Saha and Gill - 106 vs MI in 2022
Sai Sudharsan and Gill - 101 vs PBKS in 2022.