Follow UsLucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant doesn’t want to get too carried away after defeating dangerous Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 7 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
Almost everyone was expecting SRH to breach the 300-run mark against LSG’s depleted bowling attack, but Shardul Thakur and Co. restricted them to 190/9 on a good batting surface, especially after Pat Cummins and his men had slammed 286 at the same venue in their previous match.
Shardul claimed 4/34, and Prince Yadav took 1/29 in his four overs before Nicholas Pooran (26-ball 70), and Mitchell Marsh (31-ball 52) put on a show with the bat in the second innings and helped LSG chase down the target in just 16.1 overs.
“Big relief, but as a team, we talk about the process. It's not about getting too high when you win and not about getting too low when you lose. As a team, we can't focus on uncontrollables, my mentor said focus on controllables and that is what I did. Good to see the way Prince bowled and also Thakur was really good,” said Pant.
Talking about batting Pooran batting at No.3, Pant said: “I think we just want to give freedom to him. You got to give someone the charge when he is batting well and he has batted brilliantly for us. The group is coming up nicely, we haven't played our best so far but happy to get a win.”
Shardul went unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction, but Mohsin Khan's season-ending injury got him into the LSG set-up. And in the space of two games, Shardul has become LSG’s lead pacer, and the Purple Cap holder in the IPL 2025.
Shardul dismissed in-form batters Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan in the space of two balls in his second over and later returned to get rid of Abhinav Manohar and Mohammed Shami.
“Some swing and what I have seen in the past, Head and Abhishek love to take their chances so I thought I will take my chances as well. New ball is a thing where you can take wickets when it's swinging and I took my chances tonight.”
Shardul also spoke about preparing pitches that would help both batters and bowlers. “Bowlers get very little in these kinds of matches, even in the last game I said that pitches should be prepared in a way the game especially hangs in the balance. With the impact sub-rule coming in, it's unfair on the bowlers if a team scores 240-250 runs.”
SRH captain Pat Cummins said the surface was different from the one that was used during the game against Rajasthan Royals, and he would have liked someone to bat through the innings like Ishan Kishan did in the previous match.
“It was a different wicket the other day, but we had to score quickly. They batted really well though. Still a very good wicket, this was the second-best wicket. It gripped a little bit, but it was a nice wicket,” said Cummins.
“Every time it's a fresh game, they bowled really well, it was very well planned. It was a pretty good effort to get to 190. You always need one person to bat throughout the innings, like Ishan (Kishan) did the other day, but they bowled really well, never let us off the hook.”
SRH will next take on Delhi Capitals (DC) in Vizag on March 30 (Sunday), while LSG will play Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 1 (Tuesday).