Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) cruised to a comfortable 5-wicket win, chasing down 191 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their IPL clash in Hyderabad on Thursday.
Fifties from Nicholas Pooran and Mitch Marsh powered a blistering 116-run stand off just 43 balls, laying the foundation for the chase after SRH fell short of their usual towering totals.
The hosts managed 190/9 as LSG’s bowlers applied pressure to curb their free-flowing batting. Shardul Thakur, drafted in for the injured Moshing Khan, spearheaded the attack with a four-wicket haul, stifling an SRH side that has made 200-plus totals a habit.
Pooran's explosive 70 off 26 propelled him to the top of the tournament's run charts with 145 runs in two games, securing the provisional Orange Cap. Meanwhile, Shardul's 4 for 34 made him the leading wicket-taker with six wickets, earning him the Purple Cap.
BRIEF SCORES
SRH: 190/9 in 20 overs (Travis Head 47, Sharul Thakur 4/34)
LSG: 191/5 in 16.1 overs (Nicholas Pooran 70, Pat Cummins 2/29)
LSG dish out SRH's own medicine
Chasing 190, Lucknow got off to a shaky start as Aiden Markram was caught at mid-off for just 1 in the second over off Mohammed Shami’s bowling, bringing Nicholas Pooran to the crease alongside Mitch Marsh.
And then the fireworks began.
The duo pummeled the SRH bowlers all around the park, racing to a 50-run partnership in just 19 balls.
By the end of the powerplay, LSG had stormed to 77/1.
Pooran brought up his half-century in just 18 balls with a massive six off Adam Zampa that landed in the second tier, showing no signs of slowing down as LSG reached 100 in just 7.3 overs.
While Pooran played the aggressor, Marsh provided steady support as the pair brought up their 100-run stand in just 37 balls. The onslaught ended in the ninth over when Pooran fell LBW to Pat Cummins for a blistering 70 off just 26 balls. He chose not to review, struck plumb in front of middle.
Marsh carried on the charge, bringing up his fifty in the 11th over. However, he too fell to Cummins in the same over, chipping it to long-on for 52 off 31 balls.
LSG lost quick wickets as Ayush Badoni departed for 6, while Rishabh Pant had another underwhelming outing, dismissed for 15 in the 15th over.
At 164/5, with momentum slowing slightly, David Miller and former SRH batter Abdul Samad stitched a quickfire 29-run stand in just two overs to seal Lucknow’s first win of the season.
Samad remained unbeaten on 22 off 8 balls, while Miller finished 13* off 7 as LSG cruised home in just 16.1 overs.
Shardul halts the sunrise
SRH began their innings with trademark aggression despite early setbacks after LSG skipper Rishabh Pant won the toss and opted to field, immediately testing the explosive opening duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma.
However, their bid for a flying start was cut short in the third over when Shardul removed Abhishek for six, caught at square leg. He struck again on the next delivery, dismissing Ishan Kishan—centurion from the previous game—for a first-ball duck, edging behind to Pant.
Head, unfazed by the early blows, kept up the attack and found support from Nitish Reddy. The pair steered SRH past 50 in just 29 balls, maintaining the team’s aggressive approach despite the setbacks.
LSG had a chance to pull things back in the final over of the powerplay, but Head was handed two reprieves off Ravi Bishnoi’s bowling—first by Nicholas Pooran in the deep, and then by Bishnoi himself four balls later.
The missed opportunities gave SRH a much-needed breather as they cruised to 62/2 at the end of the powerplay.
Head’s knock came to an end in the 8th over as Prince Yadav shattered his stumps while he attempted a big hit, bringing his 28-ball 47 to a close.
Heinrich Klaasen joined Reddy in the middle as the duo looked to maintain the momentum, bringing up SRH’s 100 in the 11th over.
Just as the South African looked to accelerate, his innings was cut short in bizarre fashion. Attempting a drive off Prince Yadav, Reddy saw the bowler get a hand on the ball, which ricocheted onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end, catching Klaasen out of his crease. His unusual dismissal ended a promising 26-run knock off 17 balls.
Aniket Verma joined Reddy in the middle as the scoring rate began to dip. With pressure mounting, Reddy attempted to take on Ravi Bishnoi but missed his shot, seeing his stumps rattled. His 28-ball 32 came to an end in the 15th over.
Aniket took matters into his own hands, launching consecutive sixes off Bishnoi in the 15th over before following up with two more off Digvesh Rathi in the 16th. However, in his bid to accelerate, he went for one shot too many, skying a delivery straight to the deep off Rathi’s bowling, bringing his explosive 13-ball 36 cameo to an end.
LSG continued to tilt the momentum in their favour in the 17th over as Abhinav Manohar perished for just two runs while attempting to clear the ropes, finding the fielder in the deep and handing Shardul his third wicket of the game.
SRH found themselves at 156/7 as skipper Pat Cummins joined Simarjeet Singh at the crease. With Lucknow making regular inroads, Cummins counterattacked, smashing back-to-back sixes off Shardul Thakur in the 17th over as SRH aimed to cross the 200-run mark once again.
He continued his assault in the next over, dispatching Avesh Khan for a third consecutive six off his first three deliveries faced. However, his fiery cameo was cut short when he attempted to score off a wide yorker, only to find short third, walking back for 18 off 4 deliveries.
The score was 176/8, but runs dried up as wickets kept falling in the death overs. Shardul claimed his fourth, removing Mohammed Shami, before Harshal Patel and Simarjeet pushed SRH to 190/9 in 20 overs.
Heading into today's game, LSG made one change, bringing in fit-again Avesh Khan for Shahbaz Ahmed, while SRH remained unchanged.
Lucknow are searching for their first win of the season after a nail-biting loss to Delhi Capitals, thanks to Ashutosh Sharma’s late heroics.
SRH, meanwhile, are looking to make it two in two after a dominant victory over Rajasthan Royals in their opener.
Historically, LSG have had the upper hand in this fixture, winning three of their four encounters against SRH.
Teams
Lucknow Super Giants: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (wk/c), David Miller, Ayush Badoni, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins (c), Simarjeet Singh, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami