Synopsis: Abhishek Sharma suffers nightmare over, conceding 31, as Hyderabad lose winnable match from a position of strength
𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁!
Relive the three sixes from @nicholas_47 that changed it all 💥💥💥#TATAIPL | #SRHvLSG https://t.co/T3IyHw8HbI pic.twitter.com/bG6Hz6mQBr
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 13, 2023
Lucknow Super Giants got back to winning ways beating hosts Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets in a match that looked beyond them for much of the chase.
Nicholas Pooran’s blistering 12-ball 40 took the game away from Sunrisers. Aiden Markram had matters under control before losing the plot completely towards the back of their bowling innings. Fireworks from Marcus Stoinis and Pooran handed the hosts their fifth home defeat in six games this season, pushing them towards the exit door.
Mankad’s masterclass
Replacing Deepak Hooda in the playing XI, Prerak Mandak anchored the chase with an unbeaten 45-ball 64. He showed excellent temperament despite the run rate hitting 13s at one stage of the innings.
Prerak Mankad brings up an impressive half-century 👌👌
5️⃣0️⃣ partnership up for the second wicket 👌🏻#TATAIPL | #SRHvLSG pic.twitter.com/DDoClEMFAV
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 13, 2023
The 29-year-old’s 73-run partnership with Stoins turned the buzzing atmosphere at Uppal into a sedate one. Mayank Markhende, who has had an impressive tournament so far, was put to the sword by the pairing.
Once Stoinis went, Pooran continued from where the Aussie left. Skipper Aiden Markam’s gamble to bowl Abhishek Sharma in the 16th over backfired as Stoinis and Pooran extracted 31 runs off the over completely swinging the momentum, even though the burly Australian was dismissed midway through it.
Tame Powerplay by LSG
SRH came out all guns blazing in the Powerplay, scoring 56 runs. Openers Abhishek and Anmolpreet Singh, as well as Rahul Tripathi, attempted a shot every ball. Compared to the hosts, LSG showed no signs of aggression in the same phase.
Chasing 183 runs on a tricky wicket, Kyle Mayers struggled to get going. He consumed 14 deliveries for his two runs before he was put out of his misery by part-timer Glenn Phillips, who dangled a carrot by tossing one up as the West Indian tried to go over the infield only for Markram to take a stunning catch at mid-on.
Fellow opener Quinton de Kock and Mankad tried to put the pressure back on the bowlers, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Afghan Fazalhaq Farooqi did not allow the batsmen to free their arms and restricted them to 30 runs in the Powerplay.
Klassen-Samad deliver
Earlier in the day, Markram won the toss and opted to bat first. Brimming with confidence from the previous games against Rajasthan Royals, Abdul Samad looked in red-hot form in the scorching afternoon heat. Coming out in the 13th over, Samad took his time initially and then in the final overs, showed his finishing abilities. South African Heinrich Klassen reverse-swept Amit Mishra on the first ball he faced to make his intentions clear and dominated the middle overs. He went after Ravi Bishnoi and didn’t let him settle.
Heinrich Klaasen fired immediately with the bat for @SunRisers and scored an impactful 47 👊🏻
Will it turn out to be a match-winning knock? #TATAIPL | #SRHvLSG
Relive his innings here 🎥🔽https://t.co/lLsRqpCCSh pic.twitter.com/UvKCP87Q8u
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 13, 2023
The 59-run partnership helped the hosts get to a good total on a surface that was assisting spinners and had a bit of extra bounce for the seamers with the new ball. Initially, Abhishek and Tripathi were outdone in the Powerplay by the extra bounce which Yudhvir Singh and Yash Thakur got.
However, as the ball got older, it started to grip a bit for the spinners. Markam, who looked in good touch for the first time in a while, was done in by the guile of Krunal Pandya as he tried to come down the track and force the issue. After heroics in the last game, Glenn Phillips was dismissed first ball by the LSG captain. The ball pitched on middle stump, spun and hit the top of off. The Kiwi batsman looked stunned after the delivery.
In the 19th over of the SRH innings, Avesh Khan bowled a full toss which the on-field umpire deemed a no-ball. However, LSG challenged the decision and the third umpire reversed the on-field call with the reasoning that Samad was in a crouching position.
However, Klassen was unhappy with the decision and had a long animated chat with the square-leg umpire. The home crowd, unhappy with the decision, made its feelings clear with their loud screams of ‘no-ball’. Some fans threw objects towards the LSG dugout which halted the game for a while.
After the incident, emotions got the better of Klassen, who was batting well till that point. He played an ugly swipe to the leg-side and got a top edge that went for a boundary. The very next ball, trying to hit Avesh who had an ordinary day with the ball, he gave the bowler something to celebrate as he was holed out at long-on.