Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma Crush Lucknow Super Giants with Blistering Hitting Show

Led by Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma’s blazing knocks, Sunrisers Hyderabad handed Lucknow Super Giants a thumping defeat in a one-sided contest in Hyderabad on Wednesday. The duo helped the side chase down 166 with 62 balls to spare, and significantly propelled their Net Run Rate, moving to the third spot on the points table. 30 of the 58 balls the duo faced were hit for boundaries as they secured their team a 10-wicket win.

The difference

80 runs separated the two teams in the powerplay. SRH smashed eight sixes in this period, twice of what LSG managed in their entire innings. If with the ball courtesy of Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s efforts, SRH gained momentum in the contest, with the bat, they completely killed the chase in this phase.

Lucknow Super Giants

Powerplay: LSG top-order stuck in grapple-hold

LSG: 27/2 (RR:4.50, 0x4s, 1x6s)

Led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s fine spell upfront, well aided by Shahbaz Ahmed, SRH managed to restrict LSG to their lowest-ever powerplay score. The batters struggled to find timing and never had the rhythm to get going, losing two crucial wickets – Quinton de Kock and Marcus Stoinis – in this period.

Middle overs: LSG stutter but fight back

LSG: 75/2 (RR: 8.22, 6x4s, 3x6s)

Krunal Pandya’s assault on Jaydev Unadkat, which included two sixes down the ground, allowed LSG to get some much-needed momentum in their innings. However, he didn’t find ample support from the other end. Rahul holed out to T Natarajan at long leg and soon after Krunal himself was run out while attempting a quick single. Unlike Bhuvneshwar, however, the other bowlers weren’t as threatening. Cummins rotated his resources well and LSG couldn’t find the flourish they were looking for.

Death overs: Badoni, Pooran guide LSG to respectability

LSG: 63/0 (RR: 12.60, 10x4s, 0x6s)

Badoni and Pooran stepped on the accelerator in the death overs and countered SRH’s plans of using the slower balls on the hard lengths by attacking the shorter part of the boundary. They couldn’t send any of those shots over the rope, including the last one which was superbly defended by Nitish Reddy at sweeper cover. Nonetheless, Badoni used some unconventional strokes and powered along to his fastest IPL half-century and in the company of Pooran, extended their partnership to 99 runs helping the side to a respectable total.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Powerplay: Head, Abhishek blow LSG away

SRH: 107/0 (RR: 17.83, 13x4s, 8x6s)

In the first eight balls of the run-chase, SRH were moving along at run-a-ball, far slower than their standards, and then Abhishek Sharma cut loose. Yash Thakur lost his line, and as the attack continued from both ends – as Travis Head and Abhishek have done for most of this season – LSG ran out of plans. K Gowtham, who bowled an effective first over, was taken to the cleaners in his second, butchered for three sixes and a boundary. The duo exploded and hammered 99 runs in the next 28 balls, which killed the contest. Head, who led the assault, powered along to his joint-fastest half-century, reaching the mark in only 16 balls – his fourth fifty within the powerplay this season, most by any batter ever in IPL.

Middle: The onslaught continues

SRH: 60/0 in 3.4 overs (RR: 17.65, 3x4s, 6x6s)

The middle overs started with a six by Travis Head and the chase ended with a six by Abhishek Sharma. The two southpaw continued their relentless attack in the never-ending six-fest as SRH managed to post the highest-ever score within the first 10 overs in the IPL (playing two balls less). Badoni’s part-time offbreaks were smashed for 19, Ravi Bishnoi was taken apart for 17, Naveen ul Haq bowled a few effective slower balls but was still carted away for 14. The chase was done and dusted in 58 balls.

With that win, SRH not only gave their NRR a boost but also knocked out Mumbai Indians from the qualification race.

What next?

Both teams have long gaps ahead of their next outing. LSG will travel to Delhi to take on the Capitals on May 14 while Sunrisers Hyderabad will host Gujarat Titans on May 16.