Live Report - Marsh, Markram fifties set up LSG's march to 205

That's the partnership between Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan so far. They've put on 35 in just 14 balls, and played some incredible shots already - Kishan's first-ball six over the covers off O'Rourke was particularly tasty - and SRH are 52 for 1 in four overs.

Will O'Rourke breaks through, and SRH are 17 for 1 in 1.4 overs. The towering New Zealander's extra bounce does for the left-handed Atharva Taide, who had hit three fours in his first eight balls: two beautiful bits of timing (a flick off his hip and a steer past point) and one top-edged swipe that flew to the deep third boundary. Gets out in similar fashion, swiping across the line, top-edging, and this time getting caught on the third boundary.

The big three of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) came to the party once again, with Nicholas Pooran scoring 45 off 26 on the back of half-centuries from openers Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram. On a pitch that became trickier to bat on as the ball became older, however, the rest of the line-up didn’t offer too much: having scored 108 for no loss in the first 10 overs, LSG only managed 97 for 7 in the back half, as Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) bowlers pulled them back with their changes of pace.

Eshan Malinga was SRH’s most successful bowler with 2 for 28, picking up the wickets of Rishabh Pant – who fell for another low score after promoting himself to No. 3, chipping a slower ball back to the diving bowler – and Ayush Badoni.

With Malinga, Pat Cummins and Harshal Patel finding plenty of grip with the slower ball, SRH at one stage looked set to limit LSG to below 200. But Nitish Kumar Reddy, who bowled for the first time in IPL 2025, conceded 20 in an eventful final over that also brought three wickets including two run-outs, with Pooran hitting his first six off the 25th ball of his innings and Akash Deep finishing off with a first-ball six off the last ball of the innings.

LSG ended up with a total well short of what they may have envisioned when Marsh and Markram were hitting the ball to all parts in an opening stand of 115 in 10.3 overs. Both brought up 28-ball half-centuries, hitting four sixes each in power-packed displays at the top of the order.

Marsh's dismissal in the 11th over - it was debutant left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey's first wicket in the IPL - began LSG's slowdown; even Pooran struggled to get to grips with the pace of the pitch initially, scoring just 28 off his first 20 balls, before finishing with a flourish.

Eshan Malinga dismissed Rishabh Pant, and now he's sent back Ayush Badoni. Goes full and wide of Badoni's hitting arc, and he fails to manufacture the power he needs to clear deep cover. LSG are 169 for 4 in 17.4 overs. Malinga has 2 for 27 in 3.4 overs so far, and he's been excellent with his yorkers and changes of pace.

He concedes just one more run off his last two balls, and finishes with 2 for 28 in four. Superb stuff. The last ball of his four-over quota sums up the effect he's hand: a slower bouncer that loses all semblance of pace off the pitch, and Pooran swing and misses.

LSG have slowed down considerably through the second half of their innings. From 118 for 1 in 11 overs, they've scored 50 for 2 in their next six overs. SRH have bowled a lot more slower balls in this period, and it's possible the old ball is gripping just enough to make that a good defensive option.

LSG are 168 for 3 in 17 overs. Pooran is batting on 27 off 17.

150th IPL wicket for Harshal Patel, and it comes up in trademark style, with a dipping slower yorker that Markram plays all around to be bowled for 61 off 38 balls.

But it's taken a couple of tries for Harshal to land the slower ball just right. He started the over with one that slipped out of his hand and ended up as an above-waist-height full-toss that Markram pulled for six. LSG are 159 for 3 in 15.4 overs.

Sampath Bandarupalli tells us that Harshal (117 matches) is the second-quickest to 150 IPL wickets behind Lasith Malinga (105). That's quite an achievement.

Just like his opening partner today, Markram brings up his fifty off 28 balls. LSG are in an excellent position with him and Nicholas Pooran at the crease in the 13th over, and they'll need to build on it. There's a small opening here for SRH if they can break this partnership quickly: LSG are playing only six batters despite batting first, with Akash Deep slotted at No. 7.

He promoted himself, and he'd just hit a good pulled four, but he's out immediately afterwards. Very full slower ball from Eshan Malinga, and Pant reacts late and kind of checks his push down the groud. Goes in the air, and Malinga takes a superlative return catch, throwing himself to his left in his follow-through and grabbing it two-handed at full stretch. Pant goes for 7 off 6, and LSG are 124 for 2 in 12 overs.

The debutant breaks the partnership. He's bowled pretty well, getting a bit of in-drift into the right-handers to limit their room, and bowling at a good pace - usually in the high 80s to mid-90s band - and now he sends back Marsh with a pretty good ball, getting it to grip outside off and cause Marsh to slice an attempted drive over mid-off or cover. Ends up in the hands of the diving Eshan Malinga at short third.

Marsh falls for 65 off 39, and Rishabh Pant walks in at No. 3, with LSG 115 for 1 in 10.3 overs.

The last ball of the tenth over produces a half-chance for Harshal Patel, with Marsh spooning one straight back. It's low, and Harshal gets both hands to it, but grounds the ball briefly as he scoops it up.

It's illustrative of SRH's night so far. They've had a missed stumping, and Aniket Verma dropped another low chance on the cover boundary in the ninth over, off Markram, and there have been a few balls flying or landing just out of reach of fielders. They haven't bowled particuarly well, and there hasn't been any help from the conditions, but the rub of the green hasn't quite gone their way either. LSG are 108 for no loss in ten overs.

It's his fifth of the season, and he's brought it up off 28 balls. LSG are 90 for no loss in eight overs.

It's one of the great shots of our time, and no one plays it as well as Heinrich Klaasen: the pull against the spinner that isn't really a pull, but more of a straight-bat back-foot shovel over the leg side. Klaasen's South Africa team-mate Markram has just played a brilliant example of that shot to hit Zeeshan Ansari for a six over wide long-on, and LSG continue to motor. They're 81 for no loss in seven overs.

LSG have rushed to 69 for no loss at the six-over mark. This looks like one of the flatter Ekana surfaces you'll see, with the ball coming onto the bat beautifully, with no sideways movement. Marsh is batting on 41 off 22 and Markram on 26 off 14. Five sixes already in the first six overs.

Harsh Dubey could have had wickets off the first balls of both his overs so far. His first ball in the IPL produced a bottom edge off Mitchell Marsh that wasn't really a chance: Ishan Kishan ended up making a failed attempt to snaffle it between his legs.

The first ball of the second over, however, produced a fairly clear-cut chance. It was drifting down the leg side, and Aiden Markram, stretching forward to flick, overbalanced as he missed, and left the crease momentarily. Kishan, however, fluffed the stumping chance.

How quickly things change. Kishan took four catches in SRH's last game, the rained-out no-result against Delhi Capitals.

And the rest of Dubey's over proves expensive, with Marsh and Markram hitting him for two fours and a six to move LSG to 45 for no loss after four overs.

A four and a six in the first over, when Pat Cummins dropped a touch too short while looking to bowl hard length, and a big, straight six off debutant left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey in the second over, and Mitchell Marsh is on 18 off 11 balls already. SRH are 19 for no loss in two overs.

Pat Cummins, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain, has chosen to bowl against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Ekana.

SRH will be without opener Travis Head, whose return to India was delayed by a bout of Covid-19. Head arrived in Lucknow on the day of the match, and Cummins said he was at the team hotel. Left-arm quick Jaydev Unadkat was also unavailable for personal reasons.

LSG have handed a debut to the tall New Zealand fast bowler Will O’Rourke, who makes his first appearance in the IPL. The home team named a bowler-heavy starting XI despite batting first, with Akash Deep slotted at No. 7. Himmat Singh and Shahbaz Ahmed are options to come off the Impact Player bench should LSG need to shore up their batting during the first innings.

SRH handed out a new cap too, to the Vidarbha left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey. Ishan Kishan is likely to move up one spot to open for SRH in Head’s absence, with Nitish Kumar Reddy slotted at No. 3.

The off-centre location of the pitch for Monday's game makes for asymmetric square boundaries - 60m on one side and 69m on the other - which could play a significant tactical role.

SRH are already out of contention for the playoffs, while LSG are among three teams vying for the fourth and final slot. To get there, they will need to win all three of their remaining games and hope other results go their way.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Ishan Kishan (wk), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 4 Heinrich Klaasen, 5 Aniket Verma, 6 Kamindu Mendis, 7 Pat Cummins, 8 Harshal Patel, 9 Harsh Dubey, 10 Zeeshan Ansari, 11 Eshan Malinga.
Impact Player bench: Mohammed Shami, Atharva Taide, Sachin Baby, Abhinav Manohar, Simarjeet Singh.

Lucknow Super Giants: 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Ayush Badoni, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Akash Deep, 8 Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Digvesh Rathi, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Will O'Rourke.
Impact Player bench: Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, M Siddharth, Shardul Thakur, David Miller.