Aiden Markram delivered as the Lucknow Super Giants claimed a tense five-wicket win over the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL on Sunday.
Pace bowler Mohammed Shami’s inspirational opening spell had Hyderabad tottering at 26-4 before the home team reached 156-9 at the Uppal stadium.
Lucknow started strongly but wobbled in the middle phase before the left-handed Rishabh Pant (68* off 50) kept calm to steer the team home with one ball to spare for their first win of the season in two matches.
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Markram’s 45 off 27 balls set up the chase but Lucknow lost quick wickets including impact substitute Ayush Badoni, stumped for 12, and Nicholas Pooran, run out for one.
Effortless timing right from the word go ❤️💙
🎥 Two glorious sixes from Aiden Markram as #LSG look in control of this chase 💪
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/qC2rF1Hiiz#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #SRHvLSG pic.twitter.com/a0mkeCBi2z
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 5, 2026
Needing nine off the final over, Pant hit three fours, including the winning boundary off Jaydev Unadkat.
OVER THE IN-FIELD! 😍
Captain Rishabh Pant guides the chase and finishes it off in style 🤌@LucknowIPL off the mark on the points table +2️⃣
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/qC2rF1Hiiz#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #SRHvLSG pic.twitter.com/SEDFsub4UD
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 5, 2026
Shami (2-9) stood out after he took down the Sunrisers’ dangerous openers Abhishek Sharma, for a duck, and Travis Head, for seven, on successive balls in his first two overs.
He had Sharma caught at short third off the last delivery of his opener and Head then taken at mid-off from the first ball of his second over.
India’s veteran quick Shami has 462 international wickets across three formats but has fallen off the radar of national selectors despite consistent domestic performances.
The 35-year-old last played for India in the final of the 2025 ODI Champions Trophy in Dubai.
England’s Liam Livingstone avoided the hat-trick but soon fell for 14 after captain Ishan Kishan was bowled for one before Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy hit back.
Klaasen top-scored with 62 off 41 balls and Reddy hit 56 off 33 as the two put on 116 runs in a counter-attacking stand that gave the Sunrisers a fighting chance.
But once the two departed, Hyderabad’s batting fell apart as fast bowlers Prince Yadav and Avesh Khan finished with two wickets each to provide able support to Shami.
– AFP
Photo: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters