SRH's Early Collapse Costs Them as LSG Clinch Thriller in Hyderabad

SRH, batting first against LSG, lost four early wickets and were reduced to 29/4 in 8 overs. However, Nitish Kumar Reddy (56 off 33 balls) and Heinrich Klaasen (62 off 41) helped SRH to 156/9 in 20 overs.

Ishan Kishan, who is the stand-in captain of SRH in Pat Cummins' absence, speaking at the post-match presentation, said the total was not enough. He acknowledged the pressure from losing four early wickets and credited Klaasen and Nitish for helping the team reach 150+. He highlighted Harsh Dube's (2/18 in 4 overs) exceptional bowling, emphasising that taking the match to the final over was a positive takeaway. "It was a good game, total not enough. Bowlers bowled to the plan, credit to the fielders too but one or two boundaries can take the match here and there. Losing four wickets early puts pressure on other batters, but credit to Klaasy and Nitish for taking us past 150. Rishabh played well when they were losing wickets. Defending that total was tough, but taking it to the last over gives us positive notes. Harsh bowled exceptionally well, hope he'll continue," the SRH captain said.

LSG bowlers, led by a clinical Shami, dismantled the SRH top order in a frantic opening spell. Mohammed Shami struck in the very first over, dismissing Abhishek Sharma for a two-ball duck. The misery continued for the home side as Travis Head (7) fell shortly after, followed by Kishan (1), who was cleaned up by a beauty from Prince Yadav.

By the end of the Powerplay, SRH were reeling at 22/3, which soon became 26/4 when Liam Livingstone (14) was brilliantly caught by a diving Rishabh Pant off the bowling of Digvesh Rathi.

While Reddy and Klaasen shared a vital 116-run partnership that dragged SRH from the brink of a double-digit total to a competitive score, it did not prove to be enough as the LSG skipper's unbeaten 68* run knock guided the Lucknow-based franchise to a five-wicket win over SRH.

- ANI