Abhishek's blazing fifty, Klaasen's composed 47 help SRH knock Lucknow out of IPL play-off race

A blistering half-century by Abhishek Sharma, followed by a composed knock by Heinrich Klaasen (47), helped Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) defeat Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by six wickets and knocked them out of the playoffs race in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Monday.

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Needing to win the match to remain in contention, Lucknow Super Giants posted a challenging 205/7 riding on brilliant half-centuries by Mitchell Marsh (65) and Aiden Markram (61). But they lost the momentum in the middle-overs and lost three wickets in the final over, failing to reach a score of 220-plus, which they could have reached.

However, things continued to go against them as Abhishek Sharma struck a sensational 59 off 20 balls, racing to his fifty off 18 balls as Sunrisers reached 206/4 in 18.2 overs, chasing the 200-plus score at the Ekana for the first time in IPL.

The defeat dropped LSG to seventh position with IO points from 12 matches, while Sunrisers scored their fourth win of the season (9 points).

Sunrisers Hyderabad got off to a whirlwind start in their chase of 206 with Abhishek Sharma blazing to another half-century. Opening the innings with Impact substitute Atharva Tide in the absence of his regular partner Travis Head, Sharma was at his usual destructive best despite SRH losing an early wicket.