Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) young batter Ayush Badoni, who smashed a quick-fire 54 against Gujarat Titans on Monday, praised his team mentor Gautam Gambir for backing him in his initial days. Fighting knocks from Deepak Hooda and Ayush Badoni guided Lucknow Super Giants to 158/6 in their assigned 20 overs before their fellow IPL debutants Gujarat Titans chased the target with two balls to spare.

"Gautam bhaiya backed me a lot. He told me to play just my natural game. He told me you won't get the one-odd match, but you will get a proper run. He also told me, 'you don't need to play according to the situation. There are senior players to do that. You show us your natural game'," said Badoni in a post-match press conference. After getting unsold for three consecutive years, Badoni was picked by LSG during the IPL 2022, mega auctions.