On the eve of the clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad, a question about Lucknow Super Giants’ depleted bowling resources (Mayank Yadav injured, Mohsin Khan ruled out, Avesh Khan just coming back into the squad) miffed Mitchell Marsh.
“I don’t see it as a lack of depth,” came the quick retort. His team got the memo as its bowlers threw a spanner into the ultra-aggressive steamroller of the home franchise. Nicholas Pooran and Marsh then helped seal a five-wicket win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Thursday to help LSG open its account in IPL 2025.
‘Who will stop Travishek?’ was the question on everyone’s lips leading into this season. Shardul Thakur took a leaf out of the Pat Cummins playbook as he silenced the home crowd after dismissing Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan off consecutive deliveries in the second over.
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With the onus squarely on his shoulders, Travis Head took Avesh to the cleaners. The Australian’s impeccable luck helped him again as Pooran dropped a regulation chance at long on off Ravi Bishnoi’s bowling. Prince Yadav ensured he didn’t stick around too long, beating a swinging Head to leave his stumps in disarray. He put in a remarkable shift, registering one for 29, conceding just two boundaries.
LSG snuffed out blooming partnerships in regular intervals. Aniket Verma’s small burst (36 off 13) and three big sixes off Cummins’ bat proved pivotal as SRH finished with 190 for 9, a total well below par for an otherwise trigger-happy lineup.
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While Mohammed Shami removed Aiden Markram for just one run, it was a false dawn as former SRH men Pooran and Marsh helped take LSG to 77 for 1 at the end of PowerPlay, its second-highest in the IPL. The duo gave the home side a taste of its own bitter batting pill as they stitched a 116-run stand to set up the chase.
Cummins fought back, removing both batters across two overs. Despite a few stutters, another former SRH player, Abdul Samad, took LSG to an easy win with 23 balls to spare.