Lucknow Super Giants’ decision to bat first after winning the toss backfired as Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck early, dismissing Quinton de Kock and Marcus Stoinis to limit them to a 27-run powerplay. Although Krunal Pandya and KL Rahul tried to withstand the pressure, they struggled to find boundaries, except for two sixes by Pandya off Jaydev Unadkat.
With the pitch favoring slower deliveries, LSG managed their first four after 54 balls, but Cummins dismissed the skipper, who scored a scratchy 33-ball 29 in the tenth over with the score at 57/3. Shortly after, Krunal Pandya fell victim to a run-out, clearing the path for Nicholas Pooran and Aayush Badoni to form a 50-plus partnership.
At 102/5 in 15 overs, they accelerated, adding 29 runs in the next three overs, with Badoni reaching a 28-ball fifty in the 19th over. Cummins endured a birthday bashing, conceding 19 runs in the final over, allowing LSG to post 165 in 20 overs.
In response, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma cautiously navigated the first over before unleashing an onslaught in the next five overs. Yash Thakur conceded 17 runs in the second over, followed by Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, and Naveen-ul-Haq leaking 22, 17, and 23 runs, respectively, with the score reaching 87/0 in five overs.
Head swiftly reached a 16-ball fifty as the duo propelled SRH to 107 runs in the powerplay. The batting spectacle prompted Rahul to introduce Ayush Badoni in the seventh over, but the pair continued to dominate, adding 31 runs to reach 157/0 in nine overs.
Don't know how kl rahul is hearing all this coming in a so very disrespecting way from goenka.
— gαנαℓ (@Gajal_Dalmia) May 9, 2024
He better shud back out from this team asap and goenka dsnt deserve any of our Indian players. #SRHvLSGpic.twitter.com/f0Sq0pQJre
Pathetic Behaviour by team owners of #LSG You don't have bloddy rights to do that shit in front of live telecast #KLRAHUL You deserve to be in a beast franchise
— Thanos (@father_of_demon) May 9, 2024
Shame on you Mr Goenka pic.twitter.com/WGDykgAWtq
Abhishek Sharma amassed a 28-ball 75, while Head compiled a 30-ball 89, guiding SRH to chase down the 166-run target with ten wickets and 68 balls to spare.