In a high-octane clash that left fans on the edge of their seats, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) delivered a knockout punch to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), ending their IPL 2025 playoff dreams with a comprehensive six-wicket victory in Lucknow. This was the first of three must-win games for Rishabh Pant’s LSG, but the home crowd was left heartbroken as their team faltered under pressure.
SRH’s captain, Pat Cummins, won the toss and opted to bowl first, a decision that set the tone for the match. LSG’s openers, Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram, came out all guns blazing, stitching together a formidable 115-run partnership in just 10.3 overs. However, SRH debutant Harsh Dubey struck gold, dismissing Marsh for a blistering 65 off 39 balls.
LSG captain Rishabh Pant walked in at number three, but his struggles with form continued as he managed just seven runs before being sent back to the pavilion. Nicholas Pooran’s explosive 45 off 26 and Markram’s steady 61 off 38 gave LSG a glimmer of hope, but the middle and lower order collapsed, adding only 81 runs in the final eight overs while losing five crucial wickets.
SRH’s bowling attack was clinical, with Eshan Malinga leading the charge with two wickets. Dubey, Harshal Patel, and Nitish Kumar Reddy also chipped in with a wicket each, tightening the screws on LSG’s batting lineup.
Chasing a challenging target, SRH’s openers Abhishek Sharma and Atharva Taide, stepping in as an impact player in place of the COVID-affected Travis Head, got off to a brisk start. Taide fell for 13 off 9, but Abhishek unleashed a whirlwind innings, hammering 59 off just 20 balls and forging an 82-run partnership with Ishan Kishan for the second wicket.
Abhishek’s dismissal by Digvesh Rathi sparked a fiery exchange between the two players, with the umpires and teammates having to intervene to calm the situation. Kishan contributed a valuable 35 off 28, while Heinrich Klaasen’s 47 off 28 and Kamindu Mendis’ 32 off 21 sealed the deal for SRH, who chased down the target with six wickets in hand and 10 balls to spare.
Rathi claimed two wickets, while Shardul Thakur and Will O’Rourke took one each. SRH’s successful chase marked the first time a 200-plus target was achieved at the Ekana Stadium in IPL history.
Reflecting on the loss, LSG captain Rishabh Pant said, “The way we planned the auction, if we would have had the same bowling, the story would have been different. Sometimes things go your way, sometimes they don’t. We take pride in the way we played and will look at the positives. We have a strong batting firepower. Even for bowlers, there were times when they were bowling in good areas. We were trying to make the best of it. We knew we were ten runs short. We were good in patches but did not close out the game.”
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