Shardul Thakur’s four-wicket haul and an explosive innings from Nicholas Pooran powered Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to a five-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in an IPL match on Thursday.
Shardul, continuing his dream comeback, registered figures of 4/34 to help LSG restrict SRH to 190/9. Later, Pooran’s blazing 70 off just 26 balls (6x4s, 6x6s) helped LSG chase down the target in just 16.1 overs.
Pooran’s Power-Hitting Leads the Chase
LSG had a shaky start, losing Aiden Markram early, but Mitchell Marsh (52 off 31) and Nicholas Pooran ensured a quick recovery. The duo added 116 runs for the second wicket, completely dominating SRH’s bowling attack.
- Pooran displayed breathtaking 360-degree hitting, smashing Simarjeet and Abhishek Sharma for huge sixes towards the square boundary.
- He also took on Pat Cummins, hitting him for two boundaries in his first over, pushing LSG to 77/1 in the powerplay.
- Pooran reached his half-century in just 18 balls, making it the fastest fifty of this IPL season.
His magnificent knock ended when Cummins trapped him LBW in the ninth over.
After Pooran’s dismissal, Marsh took charge, bringing up his 50 in just 29 balls. LSG skipper Rishabh Pant (15 off 15) didn’t contribute much, but Abdul Samad’s quick cameo ensured LSG got home comfortably.
Shardul Thakur Dismantles SRH Batting Lineup
Earlier, opting to bowl first, Shardul Thakur (4/34) gave LSG a fiery start by removing Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan off consecutive balls in the third over.
- Sharma fell to a short ball, while Ishan edged an innocuous delivery down the leg side.
- Travis Head (47 off 28) counter-attacked, smashing Avesh Khan for two sixes and a four in the fourth over.
Head got two lifelines when Nicholas Pooran dropped a simple catch at long-on, and Ravi Bishnoi missed a return catch. However, his luck ran out when Prince Yadav bowled him for his first IPL wicket.
- Heinrich Klaasen (26 off 17) was looking dangerous but got run out in an unfortunate manner when a Nitish Reddy straight drive ricocheted onto the stumps off Yadav’s follow-through.
- Young Aniket Verma (36 off 13) played a blistering cameo, smashing five sixes, before falling to leg-spinner Disvesh Rathi.
- Skipper Pat Cummins (18 off 4) finished strong, hitting three sixes in his first three balls before departing.
Match Summary
SRH: 190/9 in 20 overs (Travis Head 47; Shardul Thakur 4/34)
LSG: 193/5 in 16.1 overs (Nicholas Pooran 70; Pat Cummins 2/29)
Result: LSG won by five wickets.
