LSG vs SRH Review – Fortunes unchanged for Hyderabad as they face second defeat
Lucknow Super Giants jumped to the top of the points table with a hard-earned five-wicket win over struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad. Spinners clearly dominated the game for the hosts to restrict the Sunrisers to just 121/8 as Krunal Pandya took three wickets and veteran Amit Mishra shone with 2/23. Rahul Tripathi top-scored for the Sunrisers with 35 runs before KL Rahul played a captain’s knock for the Super Giants and Krunal added 34 runs to help his team chase the target without much trouble.
Aiden Markram won the toss on his captaincy debut for Hyderabad and elected to field first at Lucknow’s Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. Hyderabad started with just three overseas options and surprisingly left Marco Jansen and Heinrich Klaasen on the bench. Lucknow were forced to make changes with Mark Wood and Avesh Khan missing due to different reasons.
KL Rahul introduced spin in the third over and it proved as a brilliant decision with Krunal dismissing Mayank Agarwal for just 8 off 7. Anmolpreet Singh and Tripathi added 29 for the second wicket but struggled for most parts. Krunal dismissed Anmolpreet and Markram on back-to-back deliveries in the eighth over to add further pressure.
Spinners kept on taking wickets as Sunrisers Hyderabad managed to score just 121/8 in 20 overs. Krunal took three and Mishra bagged two wickets for the Super Giants while Ravi Bishnoi and Yash Thakur bagged one each.
Kyle Mayers and Rahul gave the Super Giants a promising start with a 35-run stand to ensure an early win. Afghanistan pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi came in as an impact player and dismissed in-form Mayers in the fifth over. Later, Bhuvneshwar Kumar tried to balance the game for a little while with Deepak Hooda’s wicket in the sixth over.
But Rahul and Krunal added a match-defining 55-run stand for the third wicket to ensure the win. Krunal scored 34 off 23 and Rahul added 35 off 31 to drag the Super Giants closer to the target. Adil Rashid took two late consolation wickets in the 14th over as Lucknow chased the target in 16 overs.
Top performers from the match
Krunal Pandya
The spin all-rounder ended his poor form with a match-winning performance with both bat and ball. Krunal took three crucial wickets for 18 and then scored 34 off 23 to cap off an excellent performance at home.
Rahul Tripathi
The experienced batter showcased his skills as he stood firm while his teammates struggled against Lucknow’s spin attack. He top-scored with 24 off 41 with the help of four fours to help his team post a 100-plus total.
What’s next for both teams?
Sunrisers Hyderabad next face in-form Punjab Kings at home on April 9 while Lucknow Super Giants travel to Bangalore to take on Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 10.
