Lucknow Super Giants' chances of reaching the Indian Premier League play-offs were extinguished by Sunrisers Hyderabad, who eased to a six-wicket win at Ekana. (Highlights)
LSG entered Monday's match knowing they needed three straight wins, plus a series of favours from elsewhere, to join Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings in the play-offs.
Knocks of 65 and 61 from openers Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram gave LSG hope of a mammoth score, with the duo putting on a 115-run first-wicket stand.
Marsh fell first, caught by Eshan Malinga to hand Harsh Dubey his maiden IPL wicket, and Malinga soon had one of his own as he caught and bowled out-of-form skipper Rishabh Pant (7) in superb fashion.
The hosts' run rate slowed from there, and after Markram fell to Harshal Patel in the 16th over, a score of 45 from the four death overs would have been welcomed by Hyderabad.
Three wickets in four final-over balls limited LSG's scoring, with Nitish Kumar Reddy taking two after he had Nicholas Pooran (45) run out just short of his own half-century.
The Sunrisers' chase got off to an inauspicious start as Atharva Taide (13) edged Will O'Rourke's early delivery to Digvesh Rathi, who would get the next two wickets – but only after a long wait.
Abhishek Sharma (59) and Ishan Kishan (35) put on an 82-run stand before both fell to Rathi googlies.
However, Hyderabad's middle order ensured there would be no collapse from 140-3, with Heinrich Klaasen hitting a swift 47 off 28 balls and Kamindu Mendis tacking on 32 before retiring hurt, with the chase complete with 10 balls remaining.
Data Debrief: Big scores, but LSG fall short
An aggregate score of 402 was shared between the two teams, the highest ever recorded in a match between LSG and SRH.
Abhishek and Klaasen were the key men with the bat for SRH, with the former smashing Ravi Bishnoi for four consecutive sixes in the seventh over.
With 26 runs, Abhishek subjected Bishnoi (26-0) to the most expensive seventh over in IPL history.
Klaasen, meanwhile, enjoyed a partnership of 41 runs with Kishan and put on 55 with Kamindu, with Hyderabad's middle order ensuring a premature end to LSG's season.
