Shami Breaks the Top Order, Pant Seals It in the Last Over: LSG Get the Win They Needed

Lucknow Super Giants have been under enormous scrutiny since the opening week of IPL 2026 — not just for results but for an uncomfortable off-field moment after their opening defeat. Their first win, a five-wicket last-over thriller against SRH in Hyderabad on Sunday, was therefore as much about the narrative as it was about the cricket.

The Comeback Win That LSG Needed

LSG elected to field, and Mohammed Shami set the match up with a powerplay spell that immediately reminded anyone who had been questioning his Test return prospects exactly what he can do. He dismissed the dangerous Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma inside the powerplay for just nine runs in four overs — reducing SRH to 26 for 4.

The next 13 overs, however, produced one of the partnerships of IPL 2026’s early weeks. Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy resurrected the innings with a 116-run stand off just 63 balls. Klaasen made 62 off 41 balls with two sixes and five fours, while Reddy — one of India’s most exciting young batters — smashed 56 off 33 balls with five sixes and three fours. Without that partnership, SRH might have been dismissed for under 100. Instead, they finished 156 for 9.

Pant’s Unbeaten 68: Captain’s Innings Under Pressure

The chase of 157 on a sluggish pitch that was not easy to bat on was far from straightforward. LSG were 97 for 4 at one stage, with Nicholas Pooran — who has made just 8 and 1 in his two IPL 2026 matches — dismissed early to leave the game hanging in the balance.

Aiden Markram’s 45 helped steady the chase alongside Pant, the pair adding 40 together to bring the required rate under control. But it was Pant’s innings — unbeaten 68 off 50 balls — that carried the night. This was his 20th IPL fifty, reached in the most demanding conditions, on a ground that had produced a low-scoring match.

With nine runs needed off the final over — bowled by Jaydev Unadkat — Pant settled it the only way he knows how. He smashed boundaries off the first two balls to level the scores, then struck the winning four over mid-off off the fifth delivery to seal victory with one ball to spare.

“Pant smashed two boundaries off the first two balls from Jaydev Unadkat before lofting the winning runs over mid-off to seal LSG’s first points of the season.”

Goenka’s Message — and What It Means

The context around Sanjiv Goenka’s Instagram post matters. After LSG’s opening defeat to Delhi Capitals, a video of Goenka in what appeared to be a tense conversation with Pant on the field went viral, drawing significant criticism from former players and fans about the appropriateness of an owner publicly confronting his captain. The moment became one of the most-discussed incidents of the IPL’s opening week.

Goenka’s post after the SRH win was measured and deliberate.

“Building a season takes time, patience, and collective belief. Today reflected all three. The captain set the tone, and the group followed with clarity and discipline. That alignment is what allows a team to grow. A step forward, with a long way still to go. Grateful for the support. We keep building from here.”

The specific mention of the captain was hard to miss — particularly given what had preceded it.

Match Scorecard

Result: LSG beat SRH by 5 wickets.

LSG’s next assignment is at Eden Gardens on Thursday against KKR — another fixture where their top order’s reliability and Pant’s ability to carry the team will be crucial.