Hyderabad: 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.
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.
