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Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson felt Lucknow Super Giants' "flawless" execution played an invaluable role in restricting Sunrisers Hyderabad to an "under-par" total and eventually soaring to a five-wicket win in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
LSG were well-versed in the chapter on restricting the hard-hitting Hyderabad to a modest total. The bowlers stuck to hitting the stump line, targeting yorker length and avoiding dispatching the ball in the arc of SRH batters. On a placid strip, the Sunrisers limped to 190/9, a total that appeared to be competitive on paper but in reality couldn't fully test Lucknow's batting depth. "I think it's one of the toughest assignments--to go to Hyderabad and take on SRH. But LSG was extremely well-prepared. They had the courage to execute their plan immediately. They bowled full and straight, actually, fuller than full--targeting the yorker length and occasionally missing on either side," Williamson said on JioHostar. "But in doing so, they limited SRH's scoring options, preventing them from dictating the game or throwing the opposition off their lengths and lines. Hats off to the leadership for the planning and thought process that went into it. The execution was flawless, which helped restrict SRH to what was perhaps an under-par total," he added. One of the prime forces behind LSG's success with the ball was Shardul Thakur. With a base price of Rs 2 crore, Shardul didn't see any paddle go up when his name popped up and eventually went unsold for the IPL 2025. He started preparing for his upcoming stint with Essex in the County Championship. However, the Super Giants decided to bring him to their camp after a couple of injuries robbed them of their key speedsters. Since his return to IPL, Shardul has been LSG's main weapon with the new ball. On Thursday, the 33-year-old made early inroads by dismissing the young swashbuckling southpaw duo Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan in the second over. He returned in the death overs, cleaned up SRH's tail end and registered scintillating figures of 4/34. He displaced Noor Ahmad from the top to get a hold of the purple cap with six wickets to his name. "A fantastic last-minute addition for LSG, Shardul is an experienced international player, and opening the bowling against SRH in Hyderabad is no easy task. But he came in with a solid plan, aligned with the team's strategy, and executed it brilliantly," he said. They bowled with variety, kept it really full, and brought in all possible modes of dismissal. It was a highly effective approach, and he did a fantastic job. Being named Man of the Match was well-deserved for such a special performance," he added. In reply to SRH's 190, Nicholas Pooran's (70) relentless onslaught took the game away from hosts as LSG savoured five-wicket win in Hyderabad. (ANI)
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