Hyderabad, April 5 (IANS) Skipper Ishan Kishan credited the fighting partnership between Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy for giving Sunrisers Hyderabad a chance in the match, saying he was pleased with the team’s resilience despite their narrow defeat to Lucknow Super Giants in a last-over thriller in the Indian Premier League clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Chasing 157, Lucknow held their nerve to seal a five-wicket win with one ball to spare, but Hyderabad had forced the contest deep into the final over after recovering from an early batting collapse and putting up a spirited fight with the ball.
Reflecting on the narrow defeat, Kishan lauded his bowlers and fielders for pushing the game to the final over despite defending a modest total.
“I think the bowlers did an extremely good job today. They bowled according to the plan to the right areas, credit goes to the fielders as well for putting all the effort. But you know, one or two of boundaries in these kind of tournaments can go and let’s take the match away. So yeah, but I’m happy with the way we fought this game,” he said after the game.
Earlier in the evening, Hyderabad had recovered from a shaky start with the bat to post 156/9, thanks largely to a remarkable rescue act from Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
The hosts had slipped to 35/4 after losing early wickets, but the pair stitched together a crucial century stand that revived the innings and helped them post a competitive total.
Kishan acknowledged the importance of that partnership, admitting that the early collapse had put the middle order under pressure, saying, “Losing four wickets early, you know, it gives pressure to other batsmen as well. I’ll appreciate Klasee and Nitish for taking the total so deep. And I think like in a very good manner, like how it was needed. So yeah, credit goes to them.”
At the same time, the SRH captain admitted that the batting unit still needs improvement after multiple games where the team has struggled to put up imposing totals. “We need to work on batting as well, given so many games where we all make it easier for our chasing team.”
During Lucknow’s chase, Hyderabad briefly regained control with timely wickets and disciplined bowling in the middle overs. Kishan noted that the plan was to restrict singles and force mistakes, but Pant’s calm approach made the difference.
“Yeah, 100%. That was the plan, but you know, we got taking on singles, he was smart about it. And that is something, you know, you look for when you’re chasing these kind of totals. But yeah, but we have to give credit to the batters as well because they know Rishabh played well,” he said.
Hyderabad also shuffled their bowling options late in the innings in search of breakthroughs, a move Kishan said was based largely on instinct in the heat of the contest. He said, “Yeah, no, I think we were just taking or following a hunch at that point of time. We were looking for wickets and because those wickets, they bowled pretty well in those overs. So, it was our side.”
However, the SRH skipper admitted that a crucial burst of boundaries late in the innings shifted the momentum decisively in Lucknow’s favour, stating, “But you know, like I said, sometimes the margin is not so much. One or two boundaries will suddenly change the game and that’s what happened in the 17th over, I guess, when we got so many boundaries, like two, three boundaries.”
Despite the defeat, Kishan singled out pacer Harshal Patel for his impressive effort with the ball during the tense closing stages. “But I think Harsh bowled exceptionally well and we want him to bowl in this kind of manner.”
–IANS
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