SRH VS LSG MATCH 57

Right then, that was it from our coverage of this fiery encounter between Hyderabad and Lucknow where the home team exerted a lot of dominance over the visitors. With this result, Mumbai has been knocked out of this edition of the Indian T20 League. However, the excitement doesn't stop here. Join us back on Thursday, 9th May for the match between Punjab and Bengaluru in the beautiful stadium of Dharamsala. The first ball will be bowled at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT) but our coverage will start much earlier. Until then, goodbye and cheers!

Travis Head is the Player of the Match for his explosive knock of 89 runs in 30 deliveries. Shares that it was a lot of fun and it was nice that he and Abhishek Sharma were able to get the job done. States that he tries to get into positions early and react to the ball. Tells that they got ahead of the rate and felt like it was a good opportunity to maximize that. Mentions that he has been working on his game against spin and it was nice to be able to hit all around the park. Further adds that he has tried not to change what he has been doing over the past 12 months for Australia, which is to bat fearlessly. He says that they did not think about the NRR until the strategic break. Feels that he and Abhishek Sharma complement each other well and says that the way Abhishek bats against spin is second to none. Jokingly says that he would love to take this surface with him everywhere. Adds that the crowd was exceptional and it was good to get the win.

Pat Cummins is up for a chat. He says that the batting display was amazing. He mentions that the two guys are one of the best and they proved that in this game as well. Credits Abhishek Sharma for his incredible performance as well and says that it is difficult to stop him when he is in form. Says that Travis Head is a brilliant batter and that he can hit in the difficult areas of the middle of his blade. Reckons that the par score has gotten higher in this edition of the league. Ends by saying that he didn't expect such a birthday present before this game.

The Presentation ceremony…

One of the architects of Hyderabad's win, Abhishek Sharma is in for a chat. He starts by thanking the management for the faith shown in him and the freedom they have given him to express himself. Credits Travis Head for putting the bowlers under pressure at the start of the over, which makes his job easy. States that the bowlers told them that the wicket is getting better. Feels that the hard work put in before the tournament is showing. Ends by thanking his father, Yuvraj Singh and Brian Lara for their support.

The captain of Lucknow, KL Rahul says that he is lost for words and he has no words to describe the batting they have just witnessed. Adds that everything seemed to be hitting the middle of their bats. Shares that pitch did not change much and the only way to stop batters coming in with this mindset is by picking wickets in the Powerplay, which they did not. Feels that they were 40-50 runs short. Further adds that Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni batted well to take them to 166.

Earlier in the innings, we saw Hyderabad make full use of the pitch in the initial phases of the game. They managed to take quick wickets and put Lucknow under pressure early. However, the pair of Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni made sure that the visitors managed to bounce back into the game. They dominated the slog overs and pushed their team’s total above 160 which looked like a competitive total. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the star of the bowling unit with his 2 wickets and an economy of just 3.00.

We are awestruck by the batting display that the two Men in Orange have just put up for everyone. It was a very good birthday gift for Pat Cummins as Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head sealed the game in under 10 overs. Hyderabad were off to a flier courtesy of the destructive pair of Head and Sharma. Both the batters didn’t allow any bowler to get any breathing room. We felt that 165 could be a par score on this pitch but the intent these two southpaws showed in this game was unreal. Both got to their half-centuries in under 20 balls each and they gave no chances to any bowler. Abhishek Sharma scored 75 runs in 28 balls while his partner scored 89 off just 30 deliveries. The boundaries never stopped coming off their bat. With this performance, they now climb over Chennai and also manage to improve their NRR by a lot which might help them down the road.

Lucknow bowled a decent first over but after the first one, all the bowlers were taken to the cleaners every time the batters got a chance. They were poor in the field, dropped some chances as well and that might have hurt them more. The shocking part is that KL Rahul didn’t opt for the option of the impact player. The bowlers did try their best but the batters were just too good and in the end, it was a tough defeat to face. Lucknow's NRR has taken a big hit and it might come back to haunt them in the later stages.

THE ORANGE ARMY ERUPTS IN A LOUD CHEER AS HYDERABAD HAVE GIVEN THEM A TREAT TO WATCH. THEY WIN THE GAME BY 10 WICKETS WITH 10.2 OVERS TO SPARE! The duo of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head had all the answers in this game and they finished the game in just 9.4 overs. It got over in a flash. Hyderabad now climb up to number 3 on the points table.

SIX! THAT'S IT! ALL OVER IN A FLASH! Abhishek Sharma with the winnings runs and the passionate Hyderabad crowd have been treated to the batting of the highest order! Yash Thakur hurls it on a back of a length, angling across the left-hander, outside off, Abhishek Sharma extends his arms and goes inside out as he smacks it with an angled bat over extra cover for a biggie. Hyderabad have cruised home with 10.2 overs to spare and all 10 wickets in hand!

The line stays the same from Thakur, near the tramline on off, on a good length, Travis Head is made to reach out and dabs it in front of cover. Calls Abhishek Sharma through for a quick single and Head makes it to the danger end.

At 119.1 kph, on a length, outside off, Travis Head fetches it from near the wide guideline and hits it back past the bowler for a couple of runs.

Rolls his fingers over the ball and bowls it on a length, around off, Abhishek Sharma frees his arms and carves it without much timing to deep cover for a single.

Straighter this time, on a back of a length, around middle, Abhishek Sharma nudges it in front of mid-wicket for a single. Hyderabad need 9 runs more. Can they finish it in the 10th over?

Angling away, an off-cutter, on a back of a length, on off, Abhishek Sharma looks to force it through the off side but misses.

FOUR! Easy pickings! Naveen-ul-Haq misses his mark as he bowls it on a back of a length, on the pads, slower as well, Abhishek Sharma just has to get some bat on it. He succeeds as he helps it down to the fine leg fence for a boundary. Just 10 runs away now Hyderabad.