IPL 2025: Pooran, Marsh and Thakur help Lucknow thump Hyderabad by five wickets
Hyderabad, March 28 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) produced a clinical run chase to register a commanding five-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a high-scoring Match 7 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 encounter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Thursday.
Nicholas Pooran’s breathtaking 70 off 26 balls set the tone, while Mitchell Marsh played a composed supporting role with a well-paced half-century. Meanwhile, Shardul Thakur starred with the ball, claiming four wickets to dismantle SRH’s middle order.
The clash also set a new benchmark for high-scoring encounters, with a staggering match aggregate of 383 runs—the highest ever in games involving these two teams. A key highlight of the match was the sensational 116-run partnership between Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran, which not only anchored LSG’s successful chase but also rewrote the franchise’s record books. Their stand surpassed the previous highest second-wicket partnership for LSG, which was 95 runs between KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda.
Batting first, SRH got off to a fiery start courtesy of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, who maintained a blistering run rate of 13.5—the highest for any pair with a minimum of 500 runs in IPL history. Head was in an attacking mood, smashing 47 off 28 balls, but debutant Prince Yadav struck to claim his maiden IPL wicket by knocking over the Australian’s stumps.
Shardul Thakur turned the tide in LSG’s favour with a brilliant spell, dismissing Abhishek (6) and Ishan Kishan (0) in the same over. Kishan became the latest player to register a duck immediately after scoring a century in his previous match.
Despite the strong start, SRH’s middle order crumbled under pressure. Heinrich Klaasen (14) was dismissed in an unfortunate run-out, while Nitish Reddy (32) was bowled while attempting to accelerate against Ravi Bishnoi. At 110/4 after 12 overs, SRH seemed unlikely to cross 200, a stark contrast to their record-breaking 286/6 in the previous game.
Aniket Verma’s quickfire 36 off 13 balls provided some hope, but his aggressive approach led to his downfall. SRH’s captain, Pat Cummins, briefly entertained with three consecutive sixes but fell soon after.
The last two overs yielded just ten runs, as SRH finished with 190/9 in 20 overs. Shardul Thakur was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4-34, earning him the Purple Cap.
LSG’s chase began with an early setback as Aiden Markram was dismissed by Mohammed Shami. However, Nicholas Pooran took charge, launching a brutal assault on the SRH bowling attack. He raced to an 18-ball fifty, the fastest of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, smashing seven sixes in the process. He particularly targeted left-arm spinner Abhishek Sharma, hitting him for two massive sixes in the power-play.
Marsh, who came in as the Impact Player, played second fiddle to Pooran initially but later found his rhythm. He brought up his second consecutive fifty off 29 balls before falling to Cummins, shortly after Pooran was trapped lbw for 70.
With 53 needed from 54 balls, SRH briefly found hope when Harshal Patel pulled off a stunning catch to dismiss Ayush Badoni. However, David Miller and Abdul Samad ensured there were no further hiccups, steering LSG home with ease. Samad played a nifty cameo of 8-ball 22 in the end against his old team, making his debut for his new franchise.
LSG reached 193/5 in 16.3 overs, sealing a dominant five-wicket victory, and claimed their first victory of the season.
Brief scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad 190/9 in 20 overs (Travis Head 47, Aniket Verma 36; Shardul Thakur 4/34, Prince Yadav 1-29) lost to Lucknow Super Giants 193/5 in 16.3 overs (Nicholas Pooran 70, Mitchell Marsh 52; Pat Cummins 3-29, Harshal Patel 1-28) by five wickets
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