After seeing the performance of SRH batters and LSG bowlers in their first match, everyone are expecting 300+ score today from SRH. To make it easy for them, Rishabh Pant won the toss and elected to bowl. But what happened after that was Lord’s (*Shardul Thakur) Tale
Lord Shardul Thakur’s Tale
Shardul Thakur known as lord was not picked by any team in the auction. LSG brought him in as a replacement for injured Mohsin Khan. He performed decently in the first match against Delhi by picking two wickets.
Against SRH, he was totally in lord mode by picking the most dangerous Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan within the powerplay. He came in the middle and added two more wickets to his pocket. He registered his best figures in IPL yesterday –Â 4-34-4. He is also holding the purple cap today. Shardul Thakur is yet to play in his home ground Ekana stadium. He might be more effective in the slow pitch of Ekana.
Nicholas Pooran Storm
If Lord is for the first innings, then Pooran took the show in the second innings. He destroyed the SRH bowling and made them taste their own medicine in their home ground. He smashed 70 runs off just 26 balls and changed the game completely towards LSG. He completed his half century in 18 balls and created a unique record of completing fifty under 20 balls for the most times. The Caribbean had achieved this feat four times.
The first instance was in 2020 when he smashed 77 off 37 balls when he was playing for Punjab Kings against the same SRH, oh sorry! That was a different SRH indeed. He completed his fifty in 17 balls.
The other three fifties came in LSG colours. The second instance happened in 2023 against RCB when Pooran registered the fastest fifty for LSG in just 15 balls. He smashed 62 runs in 19 balls in that clash.
Last year against Mumbai Indians, he scored a fifty in 19 balls, smashing 75 off 29 deliveries.
Pooran is such a talented six hitter. He was compared to the likes of Chris Gayle in his early days. Consistency is the only area in which he is lacking. As he is the current Orange cap holder, if he manages to continue his form in the upcoming matches, he can bring back the days when Caribbean players used to dominate the IPL.