In one of the most thrilling double-headers of the IPL season, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants pulled off memorable chases on Saturday — with SRH achieving the second-highest successful chase in league history and LSG hunting down a tricky target with clinical efficiency.
At the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Abhishek Sharma delivered the knock of a lifetime, smashing a record 141 off just 55 balls as SRH chased down Punjab Kings’ mammoth 245 with eight wickets in hand and nine balls to spare. It was a night to remember for the southpaw, who brought up his maiden IPL hundred in just 40 deliveries — the third fastest by an Indian — and finished with the highest IPL score by an Indian batter. His brutal knock featured 14 boundaries and 10 sixes.
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Abhishek shared a 171-run stand with Travis Head (66 off 37) — the highest partnership of the season — which completely flattened the PBKS bowling attack. Heinrich Klaasen (21*) applied the finishing touches after Head and Abhishek departed.
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Earlier, Shreyas Iyer’s 82 and Marcus Stoinis’ unbeaten 34 off 11 had powered PBKS to a daunting 245/6, but SRH’s power-packed top order made light work of the target. Mohammed Shami conceded 75 runs, the second-most expensive spell in IPL history.
In the evening match, Nicholas Pooran’s explosive 61 off 34 and Aiden Markram’s calm 58 off 31 helped Lucknow Super Giants cruise past Gujarat Titans’ total of 180. LSG raced to 61 in the powerplay, with Markram and skipper Rishabh Pant (21) setting the tone. Pooran then launched a brutal assault, smashing seven sixes, including a 24-run over off Sai Kishore, to put the game beyond GT.
Earlier, GT openers Shubman Gill (60) and Sai Sudharsan (56) stitched a 120-run stand, but LSG’s bowlers fought back well, conceding only 60 runs in the final eight overs. Bishnoi (2/36), Avesh Khan, and Shardul Thakur were instrumental in the fightback.
The wins helped SRH and LSG climb crucial spots on the points table, injecting new life into their campaigns.
Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India, including match schedules, team squads, points table and IPL live score for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Don’t miss the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple cap.
