The batsmen lost the plot despite a strong opening stand from Mitch Marsh and Aiden Markram. The bowlers kept leaking boundaries and sixes thereafter as Lucknow Super Giants went out of the playoffs race, with the already-eliminated Sunrisers Hyderabad beating them by six wickets.

Despite not conceding too many runs in the last 10 overs of the Super Giants’ innings, the Sunrisers faced a stiff 206-run target after Lucknow finished at 205/7. But courtesy Abhishek Sharma’s 59 off 20 balls and Ishan Kishan (35 off 28 balls) and Heinrich Klaasen (47 off 28 balls)’s contributions, the Sunrisers chased down the total with 10 balls remaining.

This was also the highest successful chase in Lucknow, with the pitch being much better for batting. As for the lone playoffs spot to be filled, the contest is now between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals.

Blazing start

One of the few bright spots for his side this season, Abhishek laid the platform for the Sunrisers with his effortless six-hitting, especially in the Powerplay.

The Sunrisers couldn’t include Travis Head in their XI after he was detected with Covid-19 in Australia and reached India on Monday morning. But Head’s absence had no effect whatsoever on Abhishek.

His focus was just on the game he likes to play, which is to take on the bowlers
and pounce on anything pitched in his arc. The Lucknow bowlers just kept doing so as Abhishek went on to smash six maximums and four boundaries, reducing the required run rate below nine an over for the Sunrisers.

Severe on leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, the left-hander smoked him for four sixes in the only over he bowled, costing Lucknow 26 runs. There was absolutely no variation in Bishnoi’s bowling as Abhishek gleefully kept whacking him.

The other spinner, Digvesh Rathi, impressive in a few matches for Lucknow, did raise his team’s hopes a little when he dismissed both Abhishek and Kishan. But the required rate was pretty much in the Sunrisers’ control by then.

Slump continues

Lucknow had a superb run rate of well above 10 an over even after left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey, on IPL debut, had separated their opening pair with Marsh (65 off 39 balls)’s wicket.

Captain Rishabh Pant went up the order at No.3, but that did no good to his patchy form as he failed to adjust to the change of pace from Sri Lankan quick Eshan Malinga (2/28) — the pick of the Sunrisers bowlers — who also took a fine catch off his
own bowling.

Following Pant’s departure, Lucknow’s scoring rate kept falling as taking the pace off the ball worked well to the Sunrisers’ favour.

Like Harshal Patel, this Malinga too utilised the slower ball quite well to account for the in-form Ayush Badoni at a crucial phase.

Before that, Harshal had earned the vital breakthrough by knocking over a solid Markram.