‘Down but not defeated’ – Gautam Gambhir expresses gratitude, reacts after LSG’s IPL 2023 exit

On Thursday, the Lucknow Super Giants mentor Gautam Gambhir took to his Twitter to summarise their IPL 2023 season and tweeted that his team were “Down but not defeated” following their 81-run loss to Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League 2023 Eliminator.

Gambhir was at the core of one of the biggest controversies in the 2023 season’s IPL when he was involved in a verbal dispute with Virat Kohli during Lucknow’s game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. 

After winning the toss, the Mumbai Indians made 182 for 8, with Cameron Green top-scoring with 41 off 23 balls and Suryakumar Yadav getting 33 off 20 balls. Naveen-ul-Haq was the pick of the bowlers for LSG, taking four wickets for 38 runs, while Yash Thakur bagged three. LSG were bowled out for 101 in 16.3 overs when chasing Mumbai’s 183. Marcus Stoinis showed a bit of promise for LSG, scoring 40 off 27 balls, while others could not contribute.

Gambhir, who was named the global mentor for all Lucknow Super Giants teams in 2022, has mentored several talented young players in the competition. Sunil Gavaskar, a well-known cricketer, praised the former India opener for grooming the likes of Ravi Bishnoi, Ayush Badoni, and Naveen-Ul-Haq at the Lucknow Super Giants camp.

“Down but not defeated! Big thanks to the fans for showing immense love. We’ll be back!,” he posted on Twitter.

LSG, mentored by Gautam Gambhir, qualified for their second consecutive IPL playoffs in only their second season. The manner of MI’s defeat is demoralising, but the team may take relief from the fact that they made it to the final four despite the absence of their captain, KL Rahul. LSG would now try to fill the gaps in their squad before the start of the upcoming season.