Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka cut an emotional figure as his side sealed their first win of IPL 2026 and hailed Rishabh Pant’s match-winning effort in a thrilling chase against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday, April 5. MAIN | SCORECARD
Goenka, watching from the stands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, was visibly moved after Pant hit the winning runs in the final over. Lucknow stumbled and soared in equal measure as they chased 157, riding a brisk 45 off 27 balls and Pant’s scored 68 not out of 50.
The win came as a relief. LSG, including Goenka and skipper Pant, have come under scrutiny after a humiliating opening defeat at home to Delhi Capitals last Thursday. Footage of the intense post-match discussion involving Pant, Goenka and coach Justin Langer went viral and drew criticism for its public nature. The franchise later released behind-the-scenes clips to calm the noise.
This time the mood was reversed. Goenka cheered from the stands while Langer led the ovation for Pant, who remained unbeaten in the tricky chase.
After the formalities, Pant slumped to the lawn, relief all over him.
The fan also shared a post-match visual showing Sanjiv Goen hugging Rishabh Pant as celebrations broke out at the LSG camp in Hyderabad.
The chase threatened to break up. LSG slumped from 102 for 2 to 139 for 5, leaving them 28 short with 21 balls to spare. Harsh Dubey tightened the screws further and dismissed Abdul Samad in the 18th over.
Pant responded with a boundary off the last ball of that over, keeping the equation in check. The knock also brought up his first fifty of the season.
With newcomer Mukul Choudhary at the other end, Pant took command. He remained calm as Harshal Patel conceded just four in the 19th over.
Nine were needed from the last jump. Pant immediately attacked Jaydev Unadkat and smashed two boundaries in the first two balls to finish the job.
The relief was evident. Pant waited until the last game of last season to make a match-winning contribution. This time he delivered the Rs 27 crore signing in the very second outing.
PANTS DROP ON NO. 3
After opening and falling cheaply in the previous game, Pant moved to No. 3. The proven pair of Mitchell Marsh, Markram set the tone early and put pressure on the Sunrisers attack in the powerplay.
Markram led the charge with six fours and two sixes in his 45 and kept the chase on track despite Marsh’s early departure on 14.
The middle overs turned back to Hyderabad. Dubey (2 for 18) and Shivang Kumar applied the squeeze to remove Markram and Nicholas Pooran, who was sharply run out by Ishan Kishan. The competition hung in the balance.
Then he shifted into gear. He suppressed his natural aggression, spinning his punches smartly and choosing his moments to attack.
Earlier, LSG’s bowling decision first paid off immediately. Mohammed Shami hit the hole and removed Abhishek Sharma for a duck before forcing an edge from Travis Head.
Prince Yadav then dismissed Kishan, leaving SRH reeling at 11 for 3. Liam Livingstone fell soon after as Hyderabad slumped to 26 for 4 in eight overs.
Just when a sub-100 total looked likely, Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy staged a brilliant recovery.
The pair added 116 for the fifth wicket to drag Hyderabad back into the contest. Klaasen hit 62 off 41 balls while Reddy hit a counter-attacking 56 off 33, including five sixes.
Late knocks from Avesh Khan (2 for 36) and Prince Yadav (2 for 34) kept things in check and restricted SRH to 156 for 9.
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
05 Apr 2026 20:14 IST
