Last Updated on 3 weeks by Charbel Coorey
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were given next to no chance of beating Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) away from home. It has been well documented that LSG’s bowling attack lacks experience and is decimated by injury, so SRH at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium looked a tough proposition.
However, the Indian Premier League (IPL) delivered again when it comes to unpredictability. SRH, who have smashed four of the five highest ever IPL totals since the start of last season, could not get going as many expected they would. 190/9 was a fantastic result for LSG, who courageously chose to field despite SRH’s strength of pummelling big totals batting first.
At the heart of the bowling effort was Shardul Thakur. The pacer, who went unsold in the mega auction and is only in the LSG side as Mohsin Khan’s injury replacement, delivered a both crunch stages of the innings. His superb head-to-head record against Abhishek Sharma continued thanks to excellent execution, before dismissing the in-form Ishan Kishan the very next ball, albeit somewhat fortunately down the legside.
Thakur’s 4/34 was underpinned by 11 dot balls. No other bowler delivered ten dot balls in the match, with the next highest nine by SRH skipper Pat Cummins. Cummins himself had a tough time as captain as his bowling counterparts went to every part of the stadium as Nicholas Pooran made the result a formality with his incredible 26-ball 70 that included six fours and six sixes.
Pooran is enjoying an incredible run of form. Since the start of last season, the left-hander has belted 644 runs in the IPL at an average of 64.4 and strike rate of 191.7. With the early wicket of Markram, SRH would have been hoping for more early inroads, but Pooran, along with Mitch Marsh, firmly slammed the door shut to help seal one of LSG’s finest wins in their short history.
SRH vs LSG Reactions: Fans praise Shardul Thakur, Nicholas Pooran for matchwinning performances
Skipper Rishabh Pant was bullish about his team’s chances. “Doesn’t matter how many they score, we’re going to chase it down,” he said at the toss. With even 300 spoken about as a possibility on social media, LSG’s attack delivered as a unit to restrict SRH.
Shardul Thakur: From unsold to Purple Cap holder
Shardul has taken six wickets from his two matches to sit atop the Purple Cap standings. While there is a long way to go this season, Thakur is one of the stories of the IPL so far given he went unsold.
Fans are thrilled to see Shardul performing well. “What a turnaround for Shardul Thakur. Unsold at auction but purple cap after two games. 4 wickets against the most dominant side on a good batting pitch. Swing at start, variations at death… Can’t keep him out of game,” wrote former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif.
Here are some more reactions to Thakur’s performance in the SRH vs LSG clash.
Nicholas Pooran produces another gem
The ball sailing into the second tier of the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium was a common sight in Pooran’s outstanding knock. By the time Pat Cummins dismissed him LBW in the ninth over, LSG had 120 and were well on the way to victory.
Pooran’s spin-hitting was on show once again. “Currently Nicholas Pooran is the best player of T20 format. Period!” wrote former India offspinner Harbhajan Singh.
LSG have had a decent start to IPL 2025, going down in a very close game against Delhi Capitals (DC) thanks to Vipraj-Ashutosh magic and then knocking off SRH. Their next game is against Punjab Kings at home on Tuesday.
Next up for SRH is a tough away game to DC in Visakhapatnam.
