Rishabh Pant-led LSG won the match by five wickets with just one ball remaining.
The Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant is back among the runs as he steered the side to their first win of the IPL 2026 in the SRH vs LSG game. Earlier, youngster Nitish Kumar Reddy and star South African big-hitter Heinrich Klaasen had put up a gritty fight to rescue the Sunrisers Hyderabad following an early collapse.
But in the end, Pant’s unbeaten knock clinched the thriller, handing SRH their second defeat out of three fixtures. Let’s take a look at 3 key takeaways from the SRH vs LSG game.
Coming off a long-standing battle with his ankle injury, veteran pacer Mohammed Shami had endured a disastrous last edition for the Orange Army. SRH had acquired the bowler for a huge amount of INR 10 crore in the previous mega auction, but the 35-year-old had managed to snare only six scalps in nine appearances while conceding runs at an expensive economy of 11.23.
Following the dismal show, the seamer was traded out to LSG prior to the IPL 2026 mini auction. But a consistent domestic season for Bengal has helped Shami to regain his old touch in the ongoing edition. After registering a figure of 1/28 in their tournament opener against the Delhi Capitals (DC), he struck the hosts’ line-up with two early blows in the SRH vs LSG fixture.
Shami had dismissed star DC gloveman KL Rahul on his maiden delivery of the IPL 2026 and also got off to a similar start in this match by sending Abhishek Sharma back to the pavilion on the final ball of the first over. The bowler backed this up with another explosive SRH opener, Travis Head’s wicket, as he recorded a remarkable figure of 4-0-9-2 against his former side.
SRH was off to a horrible start in their first home match, losing the top four batters for just 26 runs in under eight overs. But from there on, a Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen masterclass propelled the team to a competitive score of 156 on the board. After two overs of a measured and careful approach, the duo took on the LSG bowlers to stitch up a valuable 116-run partnership off 63 balls.
Reddy’s 33-ball 56 onslaught included three fours and five over-boundaries, while Klaasen played a fiery 62-run innings, striking at 151.21. Apart from them, only SRH debutant Liam Livingstone had managed to contribute a double-digit score (14) in the total. However, the pair’s valiant fight proved to be in a losing cause as the Sunrisers succumbed to their second defeat of the IPL 2026.
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There was once again speculation around LSG skipper Rishabh Pant’s batting position ahead of the game. Moreover, when asked about whether he would continue to open the innings for the side, the batter had stated they were yet to decide that during the SRH vs LSG toss. However, the management eventually decided to go with their proven opening pair of Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram, sending the captain at No.3.
Following an unbeaten 118 in the last edition’s final group-stage match, the southpaw once again delivered a crucial knock at No.3. Despite losing a couple of wickets in the middle overs, Pant’s 68 not out off 50 deliveries guided LSG to their first victory of the IPL 2026.
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