Three talking points from SRH vs LSG IPL 2025 match

Lucknow Super Giants got off the mark for the 2025 Indian Premier League, as they upstaged Sunrisers Hyderabad in their den. Pat Cummins’ side couldn’t carry on from their stellar showing earlier in the week against Rajasthan Royals, as they emerged second best by quite some distance to Rishabh Pant’s side.  Lucknow recovered from their agonizing loss in their opening encounter against Delhi Capitals, as they were clinical with the ball and then came out all guns blazing in the chase to maul down a target of 191 without breaking too much of a sweat.

The game on Thursday didn’t prove to be the thrilling encounter that we have gotten used to in the IPL but provided us with some interesting talking points.

Here are three talking points from the SRH vs LSG game in IPL 2025:

1. Shardul shines with the new ball

Shardul Thakur went unsold in the auction, but he was roped in as a late replacement by Lucknow Super Giants for the injured Mohsin Khan. And the Mumbai pacer made his mark almost instantly for his new franchise. He picked up two wickets against Delhi and was clinical with the new ball once again. 

Bowling against the destructive opening duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, Shardul did well to keep things quiet in the very first over of the game. Then he struck with the very first ball of his second over, getting the wicket of the dangerous Abhishek Sharma for single digits. He didn’t stop there, as he got Ishan Kishan, who scored a century in the previous game, caught behind off the very next ball. Sunrisers Hyderabad were unsettled by that opening burst by Shardul, and then ultimately finished with an under-par score. 

The Lord works in mysterious ways 🙏 pic.twitter.com/Y1iGDtNC7p

— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) March 27, 2025

2. Travis Head dismissal and Heinrich Klaasen run-out

Despite losing two wickets in the powerplay, Sunrisers recovered as they forged a partnership between Travis Head and Nitish Reddy. Travis Head was dropped twice and was taking the game away but Prince Yadav cleaned him up with a beauty in the 8th over. The southpaw was out three short of a fifty but was replaced by Klaasen. The South African batter, who is the most expensive player in this IPL, got off to a solid start, smashing two sixes and a four. 

He was forging a partnership with Nitish Reddy and Sunrisers Hyderabad were settling in for a solid middle overs surge with two batters, who are known to attack spin with ease. However, Prince Yadav got a streaky breakthrough for Lucknow Super Giants. A delivery bowled straight at Nitish Reddy was driven down the ground, and took a deflection off Yadav’s hand onto the nonstriker’s stumps. Klaasen was found short of his crease, and that wicket came at the wrong time for the hosts, as they never fully recovered and ended up with a less-than-expected score. 

3. Pooran packs a punch

Pooran Power 💥

Nicholas Pooran smashes a 5⃣0⃣ off just EIGHTEEN deliveries 😮

How many sixes will he end up with tonight?

Updates ▶ https://t.co/X6vyVEvxwz#TATAIPL | #SRHvLSG | @LucknowIPL pic.twitter.com/WMSJcBM1wt

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 27, 2025

Nicholas Pooran can be one of the most lethal players in this format, and he proved his mettle once again today. LSG lost an early wicket, but Pooran walked out to bat with Mitch Marsh. The southpaw saw red today against his old team, as he went on the offensive from the very beginning. 

Nicky Pooran belted 70 off just 26 deliveries, as he decimated any hope of the home side getting back in the contest. He took down Simarjeet Singh and then Adam Zampa, plundering 19 and 17 off their first overs respectively. He smoked six fours and six sixes in his innings, as LSG chased down a target of over 190 on a canter, with nearly four overs to spare. Pooran couldn’t quite stay till the end but did enough to get his side a morale-boosting victory. 

IPL 2025: Points Table