Hyderabad, March 27 Pat Cummins cut a composed figure despite Sunrisers Hyderabad’s five-wicket loss to Lucknow Super Giants in a high-scoring encounter in Match 7 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. After leading SRH to a record-breaking 286 in their previous game, Cummins acknowledged that their total of 190/9 this time fell short, even on a batting-friendly wicket.
His words summed up the night for SRH—a match where a strong start was undone by regular setbacks. Openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma blazed away at a staggering run rate of 13.5—the highest in IPL history for a pair with at least 500 runs together. Head’s explosive 47 off 28 suggested another batting masterclass was on the cards, but debutant Prince Yadav knocked over his stumps, marking his first IPL wicket in style.
"Different wicket to the other day. We wanted to get above 200. A little short, but they batted very well," Cummins said after the match. "The other day was the world's best wicket; today's was probably the second best. A few things didn't go our way, but we did pretty well to get to 190. We always back our batters to make an impact, but this time, we missed that one player batting through the innings."
SRH’s middle order faltered soon after. Shardul Thakur, donning the Purple Cap by night’s end, ripped through their batting lineup with figures of 4/34, dismissing Abhishek and Ishan Kishan in quick succession. Kishan, who had struck a century in his last match, was sent back for a golden duck.
Despite Nitish Reddy’s gritty 32 and Aniket Verma’s late cameo of 36 off 13, SRH couldn’t reach the 200-run mark. Cummins himself briefly ignited hopes with three consecutive sixes, but his dismissal in the same over left SRH struggling. The last two overs yielded just ten runs as they finished at 190/9. "But we had a few good cameos. You always back your players to play how they see it. Normally, when someone gets in, they go long. We have batting till 8, so we are not telling someone to bat 50-60 balls, just go out and make an impact," Cummins added.
LSG’s chase had an early stutter when Aiden Markram fell to Mohammed Shami, but Nicholas Pooran ensured there was no panic. The left-hander played a breathtaking knock of 70 off 26 balls, racing to the fastest fifty of the season off just 18 balls. His brutal assault, particularly on left-arm spinner Abhishek Sharma, left SRH with little respite.
Mitchell Marsh, playing as LSG’s Impact Player, initially played a supporting role but found his rhythm, smashing a well-paced 50 off 29 balls. His 116-run stand with Pooran—now LSG’s highest second-wicket partnership—turned the game on its head.
Cummins briefly revived SRH’s hopes by removing both set batters, but with only 53 needed off 54 balls, LSG were never in real trouble. A stunning diving catch by Harshal Patel sent Ayush Badoni packing, but David Miller and Abdul Samad ensured there were no further hiccups. Samad, facing his old team, hammered 22 off just 8 balls, sealing the chase in 16.3 overs.
LSG’s commanding win handed them their first points of IPL 2025, while SRH were left searching for answers. As Cummins put it, "We'll review it, see what we could have done better. It’s a long competition, and you ride the last game's high and this game's low. We’ll come back stronger."
--IANS
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