Hyderabad: A blistering 70 off just 26 balls by Nicholas Pooran propelled Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to a thrilling five-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) contest at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Thursday.
Chasing a competitive target of 191, Pooran set the stage ablaze with an aggressive onslaught, smashing Simarjeet Singh for back-to-back sixes in the second over. He continued his fearless approach, punishing Abhishek Sharma with two towering sixes in the fifth over.
Pooran reached his fifty in grand fashion, slogsweeping Adam Zampa into the second tier at deep square leg before eventually falling lbw to Pat Cummins. By then, the damage had been done, leaving Lucknow in a comfortable position to seal the win.
Mitchell Marsh also played a crucial role, scoring 52 off 31 balls. He dispatched Mohammed Shami for consecutive sixes, displaying his class with elegant straight lofted shots. Marsh reached his fifty with a pull shot off Cummins, raising his bat to acknowledge the cheers from the dugout.
Despite early breakthroughs by Hyderabad bowlers, Lucknow's middle order, spearheaded by a resilient partnership, guided them home with an over to spare.
Earlier, after being sent in to bat, Hyderabad posted 190/9 in their 20 overs. They faced early setbacks as Shardul Thakur struck twice in the second over, removing Abhishek Sharma (6) and Ishan Kishan (0) in quick succession. Travis Head (47 off 28) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (32 off 28) revived the innings with a crucial stand before Lucknow bowlers tightened the grip.
Head, who looked set for a big score, survived two dropped catches—one off Bishnoi and another by Pooran—before falling to Prince Yadav. Heinrich Klaasen’s quickfire 26 off 17 balls kept the scoreboard ticking, while Aniket Verma’s 36 off just 13 balls added late impetus. Skipper Cummins (18 off 4) also contributed in the final overs, but wickets at crucial moments hampered SRH’s momentum.
Shardul emerged as the pick of the bowlers for LSG, returning figures of 4/34 in his four-over spell. Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi, Ravi Bishnoi, and Prince picked up a wicket each, keeping the Sunrisers’ batting line-up in check.
In response, Lucknow batsmen paced their chase well, with key contributions from the middle order. They reached the target in 16.1 overs, securing their first win of the tournament.
