Sunrisers’ Daring Victory Over Lucknow Super Giants
On Wednesday, Sunrisers Hyderabad dominated the Lucknow Super Giants’ bowling attack. Playing at home, SRH won the toss and chose to bowl first. LSG had a rocky beginning, losing both De Kock and Stoinis during the powerplay. The innings were steadied by Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni, who pushed the total to 165 in 20 overs. Despite this recovery, LSG seemed 30-40 runs short, setting the stage for a straightforward chase for SRH. However, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma had different ideas
The two left-handed batsmen came out strong from the start, aggressively attacking the bowlers right from the first over. They hit so well that they managed to chase down a target of 165 in just 9.4 overs without losing any wickets. Travis Head played a blazing innings, scoring 89 runs off just 30 balls, including 8 fours and 8 sixes. Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma wasn’t far behind, contributing 75 runs from 28 balls with 8 fours and 6 sixes.
SRH dominated LSG across all aspects of the game. The difference in powerplay scores was the largest ever recorded in the IPL. While LSG managed to score just 27 runs in their powerplay, SRH blitzed their way to 107 runs, creating a staggering 80-run gap.
Pat Cummins and his boys are again peaking at the right time similar to how Team Australia did in the World Cup. With 7 wins in 12 games, SRH is placed at no. 3 in the points table and a couple of wins from here will surely earn them a spot as one of the table toppers
LSG on the other side has slipped down to the 6th spot with 6 wins in 12 games. LSG will now play 2 away games with MI and DC. 2 wins in 2 games will take them 16 points but they might still get stuck in net run rate as teams like SRH and KKR have scored massive totals this season and have a better NRR. discussions will again start about the strike rate of KL Rahul and the intent of LSG which has been a much-discussed topic from the past few seasons
With this win, Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians are now officially eliminated and are out of the playoffs race. They become the first team to be eliminated from IPL 2024.
The much-talked-about trade that drew so much attention and sparked fan reactions didn’t work out at all for MI. The team never seemed to find its rhythm, and Hardik Pandya appeared to struggle as the leader of the group. This trade not only affected MI, but it also disrupted the balance of Gujarat Titans, who are now at the bottom of the table with slim chances of moving up. It’s reasonable to conclude that one trade may have derailed the season for both franchises. GT still has an outside chance if they win all their remaining matches and other game results also play in their favor.
