In IPL 2025‘s double-header on Saturday, Nicholas Pooran’s explosive innings of 61 off 34 balls, including seven sixes, led Lucknow Super Giants to a six-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans at Ekana Stadium, while Abhishek Sharma’s record 141 helped Sunrisers Hyderabad defeat Punjab Kings. During the match in Lucknow, one of Pooran’s sixes struck a spectator, causing a head injury.
The injured fan was immediately taken to the hospital for treatment. According to a viral video, the spectator later returned to the stadium to celebrate Lucknow’s victory.
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LSG successfully chased down the target of 181 runs with three balls remaining, ending Gujarat’s four-match winning streak.
Pooran strengthened his position as the Orange Cap holder, accumulating 349 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 215.43. He now leads teammate Sai Sudharshan by 20 runs in the race.
“It is not so much about the hat but about winning the game. The wicket today was absolutely beautiful to bat on. There was not much talk. As a group, we knew we had depth, and we were batting well, so we tried to continue as much as possible. What was good was the partnership, and Aiden continued on. Unfortunately, Mitch did not play today, and Rishabh came out to open. I surprise myself sometimes, get the ball close to the middle of the bat, and adjust my bat-swing,” said Pooran.
“If I tell you everything, then they will figure me out eventually. It’s about understanding who to take down and sometimes leaving the ego away. It is not about hitting sixes for me; it is how I go about my innings. When getting the opportunity to bat at number 3, you need to make the play at times and consolidate at times. I had to be brave and take my matchup on. Today I was lucky, it was the big side and I can hit it in the air and get out too, it was my matchup and today was one of the days when it came off,” the 29-year-old added.
The victory helped Lucknow Super Giants climb to the third position in the points table with eight points from six matches, including four wins and two losses. Gujarat Titans, the 2022 champions, are second with an identical win-loss record.
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.
