Mohammed Shami’s sensational opening spell laid the foundation for Lucknow Super Giants’ thrilling five-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL clash on Sunday, as Rishabh Pant’s composed finish sealed 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. Mohammed Shami was the chief destroyer, returning exceptional figures of 4-0-9-2, including 18 dot balls that choked the scoring. The veteran pacer removed the dangerous opening pair of Abhishek Sharma (0) and Travis Head (7) with clever variations, while Prince Yadav cleaned up Ishan Kishan (1) with a sharp in-swinger. Liam Livingstone’s struggle at the crease only compounded SRH’s woes as they slipped to 26/4 early on.
Klaasen, Reddy Script Stunning Recovery
With the innings in disarray, Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy engineered a remarkable turnaround. The duo stitched together a crucial 116-run partnership for the fifth wicket, shifting the momentum dramatically. After a cautious phase, the pair switched gears, launching a counterattack that saw SRH plunder 79 runs between overs 11 and 15. Klaasen (62 off 41) and Reddy (56 off 33) peppered the boundary ropes with seven sixes and eight fours, lifting SRH to a competitive position. At one stage, a total in excess of 180 looked possible.LSG Pull Things Back at the DeathHowever, Lucknow Super Giants staged a strong comeback in the death overs. Manimaran Siddharth broke the dangerous stand by dismissing Reddy, while Avesh Khan struck twice in quick succession to remove Klaasen 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 appeared slightly below par given their mid-innings surge.
Pant Anchors Chase in Final-Over Thriller
In reply, Lucknow Super Giants got off to a positive start, with Aiden Markram leading the early charge. The South African looked fluent in the powerplay, playing a range of crisp strokes as he raced to 45 before being dismissed by young spinner Shivang Kumar.Rishabh Pant then took charge of the chase, anchoring the innings with smart strike rotation and composure. Though not at his most fluent, the skipper ensured the scoreboard kept moving and held the innings together. Hyderabad found a way back into the contest when Shivang removed Markram, and a sharp run-out of Nicholas Pooran further tilted momentum in their favour. Harsh Dubey added to the pressure by dismissing Ayush Badoni, tightening the screws on Lucknow.Just when the chase began to wobble, Abdul Samad provided a timely boost with a quick cameo, striking a couple of crucial boundaries to ease the tension. However, SRH continued to fight, with Dubey striking again to remove Samad in the 18th over. A brilliant penultimate over from Harshal Patel, conceding just four runs, left Lucknow needing nine off the final over.Pant then stepped up under pressure. Two boundaries off the first two deliveries swung the equation dramatically before the captain calmly finished the game with another four, remaining unbeaten on a gritty half-century to guide Lucknow to a thrilling victory.Also See: RCB vs CSK Live Score
