On May 19, SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) knocked Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) out of the playoff hunt in the IPL 2025 with a commanding victory at the Ekana Stadium.

The SRH chased a record 206 - the biggest successful chase at the ground - and achieved the target in 18.2 overs, by six wickets and ten balls to spare.

Abhishek Sharma Leads the Rampage

SRH’s batting clicked into gear, with Abhishek Sharma hitting a 59 in 20 balls in a whirlwind knock. His 18-ball half-century had established the tone of the chase. “Abhishek’s brilliant rampage, in which he scored at virtually 300 SR,” drove SRH’s momentum in the early part of the innings.

Post-his dismissal, Heinrich Klaasen (47 from 28) and Kamindu Mendis (32 from 21) consolidated the partnership well to keep the team going.

Though Klaasen got caught and Kamindu was forced to retire injured in the 18th over, Nitish Reddy and Aniket Verma took home with ease. The franchise seemed to have finally found the right batting combination, with Klaasen and Kamindu stabilizing the innings without going for too many risks.

Kishan Compensates for Fielding Mishaps

Ishan Kishan had an inconsistent spell earlier.

Though he played a good knock of 35 off 28 balls, his stint as a keeper was forgettable, as he dropped two catches and missed one stumping. These mistakes freed up LSG to score easily in the powerplay. But SRH came back well with tight bowling in the middle overs.

Pant’s Leadership Under Fire Again

Lucknow’s IPL 2025 run was brought crashing down, revealing the cracks in team selection and leadership. Rishabh Pant’s captaincy choice was questioned when he took out bowler Digvesh Rathi immediately after he shattered an 82-run stand by dismissing Abhishek Sharma.

“Taking Digvesh off the attack let Heinrich Klaasen settle into his rhythm,” which cost the team dearly.

Pant too couldn’t locate his batting form and couldn’t motivate the team as a leader. Pant along with LSG saw a sharp decline in their performance with five defeats in the last six games since mid-April.

Markram-Marsh Duo Shine Again

Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram resumed their good form as LSG’s makeshift opening duo. They contributed 115 runs in 10.3 overs together. Markram made 61 whereas Marsh made 65. “Markram (61) and Marsh (65) now have 483 runs between them and are the second most successful partnership this season.”

Even after being dropped early, the two batted well against SRH pacers. The pair was one of LSG’s positives from a disappointing season.

Pooran’s Late Surge Not Enough

Nicholas Pooran provided LSG with hope through a late push, scoring 45 off 26. While he struggled early on with tight bowling, he went after Harshal Patel and Nitish Kumar Reddy in the last overs to drive LSG over 200. But it was not enough to defend the score.

Time for LSG to Reflect and Rebuild

As their campaign ends, LSG must reflect on their shortcomings. From an imbalanced squad to repeated captaincy blunders, the franchise struggled to find consistency. The lack of specialist openers, injury-prone bowlers, and Pant's underwhelming performance contributed to their downfall.

Though young players such as Digvesh Rathi and foreign artists Marsh and Markram had potential, the overall performance of LSG was below par. In order to recover in IPL 2026, the team needs to revamp its auction policy, spend on consistent Indian talent, and establish more clearly the job of leadership.