Lucknow Super Giants opened their account in IPL 2026 with a five-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, thanks to a clinical bowling effort led by Mohammed Shami and a composed finish from captain Rishabh Pant.
Shami set the tone with a superb spell of 2 for 9, striking twice in his first seven deliveries to remove Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head. Alongside Prince Yadav, who dismissed Ishan Kishan, LSG reduced SRH to a precarious 26 for 4 inside eight overs.
From there, Heinrich Klaasen (62) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (56) staged a remarkable recovery, adding 116 runs for the fifth wicket. Their counterattack lifted SRH from a dire position and gave them hope of a competitive total.
However, LSG’s bowlers struck back at the death. Klaasen and Reddy fell in quick succession, triggering a collapse that saw SRH lose five wickets in the final four overs, finishing on 156 for 9.
Chasing 157, LSG got off to a solid start through Aiden Markram, who scored a fluent 45. But the pitch offered some assistance to bowlers, and wickets fell at regular intervals, keeping the chase in balance.
Pant, unusually restrained early on, anchored the innings while others fell around him. With nine needed off the final over, he shifted gears decisively, striking two boundaries off Jaydev Unadkat to level the scores.
After a couple of dot balls added tension, Pant sealed the win in style, lofting a drive over mid-off.
In a game of fluctuating momentum, Shami’s early breakthroughs and Pant’s composed finish proved decisive, helping LSG register a crucial win.
