In a tense finish, Nicholas Pooran and Abdul Samad were at the crease with just a few balls left. Pooran tried to push for a risky second run after heaving a delivery from Nitish Reddy to deep mid-wicket but slipped while turning, forcing Samad to stop him and settle for one.
On the very next ball, a desperate attempt to rotate strike backfired. Samad swung and missed at a slower ball, and Pooran tried to steal a bye. Ishan Kishan reacted sharply, under-arming a direct hit to run Pooran out — a massive blow for Lucknow with just three balls to go.
Trying to salvage the situation, Samad took it upon himself but couldn’t deliver. He attempted a big shot off Nitish Reddy, only to drag the ball onto his stumps, getting bowled in a disappointing end to the innings.
The back-to-back dismissals sealed the game’s fate and led to visible frustration from Pooran. In the dugout, he was caught on camera throwing objects in anger, showing how costly those last moments turned out to be.
Lucknow Super Giants finished their innings with a flourish, scoring 35 runs in the final two overs to push their total just over the 200-run mark. However, despite the strong finish, they’ll likely feel they missed a bigger opportunity, especially after the explosive start their openers provided. The early momentum suggested a total well beyond 200 was on the cards.
As has often been the case, it was the three overseas stars who carried the bulk of the scoring load. Mitchell Marsh gave the team a flying start, Aiden Markram settled in nicely, and Nicholas Pooran looked poised to finish strong. The opening pair stitched together a century partnership, laying a solid foundation for a huge score.
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But the innings lost steam after the 10-over mark. A questionable tactical move saw Rishabh Pant promote himself ahead of Pooran, which disrupted the batting flow. The strategy didn’t pay off, as the middle overs saw a significant dip in momentum, allowing Sunrisers Hyderabad to claw their way back into the game.
If not for the late onslaught in the final two overs, Lucknow might have fallen short of the 200-run milestone. The acceleration came just in time, rescuing the innings from a potential mid-innings collapse. Still, one can’t help but feel the innings lacked the consistency needed to fully capitalize on the start.
The pitch appeared to be two-paced, with slower deliveries gripping and making strokeplay tricky. While Lucknow posted a competitive total, Sunrisers Hyderabad will believe they’ve done enough to keep it within reach, especially if they bat smartly against the variations on offer.