Former South African pacer Dale Steyn has criticized Lucknow Super Giants for sending Nicholas Pooran in the Super Over against Kolkata Knight Riders. On Sunday, April 26 LSG went to KKR in a thriller at the Ekana Stadium, he fell to the bottom of the points table. Pooran endured a tough outing, managing just nine runs before failing to score in the Super Over.
Varun Chakravarthy dismissed him during the regulation 20 overs while the wily Sunil Narine once again led the Super Over for him. Pooran has now appeared in three Super Overs in IPL history and has been dismissed for a duck each time. His struggles continued this season too, with just 82 runs at an average of 10.25.
LSG vs KKR: MAIN | SCORECARD
Steyn felt that given Pooran’s poor form, the Super Giants should turn to other options such as Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant or Mukul Choudhary.
“Three Super Overs for Nicholas Pooran in the IPL, three ducks. So yes, definitely, would you send someone else? Of course. You have players like Mitch Marsh, Rishabh Pant and Mukul Choudhary. Given Pooran’s recent form, there were other options. He hasn’t scored more than 30 or 40, but you don’t know the exact numbers of him this season, I don’t know, an Over run is almost a penalty call,” Steyn told TV stations.
“I CAN’T AFFORD SUCH DEPTH”
Overall, Pooran has been dismissed for a duck in four of the five Super Over innings in his T20 career, with his only other outing yielding just one run. He also had a sense of deja vu against Narine, who dismissed him in a Super Over during a Caribbean Premier League encounter in 2014. Steyn believes that Pooran is in such bad form at the moment that even he may struggle for confidence.
“It could have gone either way, but at this stage of the season when you’re desperate for a win, you don’t send out a batsman who hasn’t bowled all season. You go with players who hit the ball well, guys you trust to clear the ropes or at least come back to do the job. I don’t even think Steyn said Nicholas Pooran could do that badly,” said Nicholas Pooran.
“It’s unfortunate because he’s a great player. But when you’re trying to revive your season, you can’t afford to make mistakes like that, not at this level,” added Steyn.
After the defeat to the Knight Riders, the Super Giants have now lost five matches on the trot. With their campaign quickly winding down, Rishabh Pant’s men will be looking to bounce back when they take on Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, May 4.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
27 Apr 2026 02:00 IST
