LSG win by five wickets (Image: IPL)
Mohammed Shami’s sensational opening spell laid the foundation for Lucknow Super Giants’ thrilling five-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL encounter on Sunday, as Rishabh Pant’s touch settled the chase in the final over.Sunrisers Hyderabad endured a nightmare start after being put in to bat, collapsing to 35/4 inside the first 10 overs. Mohamed El-Shami was the main destroyer, returning exceptional numbers of 4-0-9-2, including 18 dot balls that stifled the scoring. The veteran removed the dangerous opening duo of Abhishek Sharma (0) and Travis Head (7) with smart variations, while Prince Yadav cleaned up Ishan Kishan (1) with a powerful knock.
Liam Livingstone’s struggles at the crease compounded SRH’s woes as they fell to 26/4 early on.
Classen, ReadyScript Amazing recovery
With the innings chaotic, Heinrich Klassen and Nitish Kumar Reddy managed to bring about a remarkable turnaround. The duo put together a crucial 116-run partnership for the fifth wicket, shifting the momentum dramatically. After a cautious phase, the duo switched gears, launching a counterattack that saw SRH plunder 79 runs between the 11th and 15th overs.
Klaassen (62 off 41) and Reedy (56 off 33) punctuated the boundary ropes with seven sixes and eight fours, lifting SRH into a competitive position.
At one point, a total of over 180 people seemed possible.LSG pulls things out at deathHowever, Lucknow Super Giants staged a strong comeback at the death. Manimaran Siddharth broke the dangerous situation by dismissing Reddy, while Avesh Khan scored two successive goals to dismiss Klassen and Harsh Dubey.
Prince Yadav then bowled a tight final over, conceding just 10 runs, as SRH were restricted to 156/9, a total that looked slightly below par given the height of the mid-innings.
Chase bunt anchors in the ultimate thriller
In response, Lucknow Super Giants got off to a positive start, with Aiden Markram leading the early attack. The South African looked fluent in the power play, playing a set of clear shots as he reached 45 before being dismissed by young spinner Shivang Kumar.Rishabh Pant then took charge of the chase, anchoring the innings with smart batting turns and composure. Although he was not at his best, the skipper made sure the scoreboard kept moving and tied the innings together. Hyderabad found a way back into the contest when Shifang removed Markram, and a sharp defeat for Nicholas Pooran increased the momentum in their favour. Harsh Dubey added to the pressure by sacking Aayush Badoni, tightening the noose around Lucknow.As the chase began to wobble, Abdul Samad provided a timely boost with a quick cameo, hitting some crucial boundaries to ease the tension. However, SRH continued to fight, striking Dubey again to remove Samad in the 18th over. A brilliant penultimate strike from Harshal Patel conceded just four runs, leaving Lucknow needing nine from the final over.Pant then stepped up under pressure. Two steps from the first two deliveries changed the equation dramatically before the skipper calmly finished the match with four more, remaining unbeaten on a brave half-century to guide Lucknow to a thrilling victory.See also: RCB vs CSK live score