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Klaasen upstages Markram as Sunrisers knock out LSG

football19 May 2025 18:41| © MWP
By:Ross Roche
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An entertaining cameo from Heinrich Klaasen helped the Sunrisers Hyderabad knock the Lucknow Super Giants out of the IPL playoff hunt with a six-wicket win at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Monday night.

It was a match of duelling South Africans after Aiden Markram struck 61 off 38 balls (4x4; 4x6) to help Lucknow manage 205-7 in their 20 overs batting first, only for Klaasen to strike 47 off 28 (4x4; 1x6) among a slew of contributions as the Sunrisers reached the target with 10 balls to spare.

The result saw Lucknow become the fifth team eliminated from this seasons IPL, while three teams -- Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings -- have qualified for the playoffs.

The fourth and final playoff spot will go down to the wire as fourth- placed Mumbai Indians and fifth-placed Delhi Capitals go head to head on Wednesday, with the winner of that game likely to take the final spot.

In Monday night's match the Sunrisers won the toss and chose to bat on a ground favoured for chasing, which in the end proved to be the correct call.

However, it did not seem so at first after Lucknow got off to a superb start thanks to openers Markram and Mitchell Marsh, 65 off 39 (6x4; 4x6) combining for a 115-run opening stand in just over 10 overs.

They blitzed 69 off the powerplay, brought up the hundred in the ninth over and looked in full control by the halfway stage, but a poor second half to their innings brought the hosts back into the fight.

Marsh was first to fall in the 11th over, slicing a ball from Harsh Dubey to Eshan Malinga at short third man, and he was followed soon after by out-of-form captain Rishabh Pant (7) as he popped a catch back to bowler Malinga as they slipped to 124-2 after 12 overs.

Markram and Nicholas Pooran, 45 off 26 (6x4; 1x6), added 35 for the third wicket off 22 balls, before the South African was bowled by Harshal Patel, leaving them on 159-3.

Pooran played a lone hand in trying to boost Lucknow down the back straight, but they lost four wickets while scoring 45 runs in the last four overs, thanks to 20 coming off an action packed last over, to get them over 200.

SHARMA BLITZ

The Sunrisers' chase was then relatively easy, thanks to a blistering 59 off 20 balls from Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order, as he launched six sixes and four fours to get his side ahead of the rate early.

He was then backed up by Klaasen, Ishan Kishan, 35 off 28 (3x4; 2x6), and Kamindu Mendis, 32 off 21 (3x4), who had to retire hurt after pulling his hamstring taking a quick single near the end, as they reached their target comfortably.

It was an 82-run second-wicket partnership between Sharma and Kishan, a 41-run stand between Kishan and Klaasen and a 55-run partnership between Klaasen and Mendis that made the chase seem easy.

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD: Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Kamindu Mendis, Pat Cummins (capt), Harshal Patel, Harsh Dubey, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga

LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Akash Deep, Ravi Bishnoi, Digvesh Rathi, Avesh Khan, Will O'Rourke

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