Hyderabad, April 5 (NationPress) In a thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant delivered a spectacular performance, hitting the winning boundary with just one ball remaining, leading his team to a dramatic five-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

While chasing a target of 157, Lucknow appeared to be in a strong position for most of the innings. However, the bowlers from Hyderabad mounted a fierce comeback, bringing the match down to the last over. Pant ultimately concluded the match in style, driving Jaydev Unadkat over mid-off for a four on the second-to-last ball, marking Lucknow's inaugural win of the season.

Initially, Hyderabad had a rocky start but managed to recover and set a total of 156/9, largely thanks to an impressive partnership between Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

After opting to bat, the Sunrisers quickly found themselves in trouble as Lucknow's fast bowlers struck early. Mohammed Shami dismissed Abhishek Sharma for a duck and sent Travis Head packing shortly thereafter, with Prince Yadav taking out Ishan Kishan, leaving Hyderabad at a precarious 11/3.

As wickets continued to fall, the hosts found themselves struggling at 35/4 when Liam Livingstone was dismissed cheaply. However, Klaasen and Nitish executed a remarkable recovery, cautiously rebuilding before launching an impressive counterattack.

Nitish unleashed a barrage of sixes, while Klaasen displayed remarkable precision, forming a formidable 116-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Klaasen scored 62 off 41 balls, and Nitish contributed 56 off just 33 balls, significantly reviving the innings for Hyderabad.

Lucknow, however, fought back at the end, with Avesh Khan and others taking wickets in quick succession to limit the total.

In their chase, Lucknow started off strongly with Aiden Markram leading the charge. The South African batsman played some elegant shots during the powerplay, racing to 45 before being dismissed by young spinner Shivang Kumar.

Pant took charge of the innings, skillfully rotating the strike and maintaining a steady run rate. Although it wasn't his most fluent performance, he held the innings together with a composed knock.

As Hyderabad sensed an opportunity, Shivang took down Markram, followed by a sharp run-out of Nicholas Pooran, which briefly shifted the momentum. Harsh Dubey further tightened the grip by getting rid of Ayush Badoni.

Just when it seemed Lucknow was losing control of the match, Abdul Samad delivered a crucial cameo with a couple of boundaries, relieving some pressure.

However, Hyderabad remained resilient. Dubey struck again, dismissing Samad in the 18th over, and Harshal Patel's superb penultimate over only allowed four runs, leaving Lucknow needing nine runs off the final over.

Pant turned the game around, scoring two boundaries off the first two balls, which drastically decreased the target, and he sealed the victory with another four off the penultimate ball, finishing unbeaten with a gritty 68 to guide Lucknow to a nail-biting win.

Brief scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 156/9 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 62, Nitish Kumar Reddy 56; Mohammed Shami 2-9, Prince Yadav 2-34) lost to Lucknow Super Giants 160/5 in 19.5 overs (Rishabh Pant 68 not out, Aiden Markram 45; Harsh Dubey 2-18) by five wickets.