Kane Williamson, the veteran player from New Zealand, had plenty of good things to say about the Lucknow Super Giants’ recent win against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2025 Indian Premier League. He praised how LSG went about their business, especially in how they managed to keep SRH to a score that really wasn’t up to par.
LSG decided to bowl first and their all-rounder, Shardul Thakur, really shone during the match. He picked up four wickets, which was a huge factor in restricting SRH to a total of 190 runs for 9 wickets over their 20 overs. When it was LSG’s turn to bat, Nicholas Pooran and Mitchell Marsh both hit impressive half-centuries, which helped the visitors clinch the victory by five wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Williamson acknowledged the challenge of facing SRH at their home ground in Hyderabad. He mentioned that LSG came in well-prepared and showed great courage in sticking to their game plan right from the start. They were aggressive with their bowling, targeting the yorker length and keeping it really straight, which put SRH on the back foot. This strategy limited SRH’s ability to score freely, making it tough for them to take control of the match.
He expressed admiration for the leadership and planning that went into this performance. According to him, the execution of their game plan was spot on and it played a big role in keeping SRH’s score down.
Thakur, interestingly, was brought in at the last minute as a replacement for Mohsin Khan and made a mark by reaching the milestone of 100 wickets in the IPL. He took down some key players, like Abhishek Sharma for just six runs, Ishan Kishan who went for a duck, and also managed to dismiss Abhinav Manohar and Mohammed Shami. His excellent performance earned him the Player of the Match award.
Williamson didn’t hold back in sharing his praise for Thakur’s effort, pointing out how he was an excellent addition to the team right before the match. He noted that bowling against SRH in Hyderabad is no small task, but Thakur came in with a clear plan that lined up really well with what the team needed to do. His bowling had a lot of variety and he kept it nice and full, which allowed for multiple ways to get wickets.
In summary, Williamson felt that Thakur did an outstanding job, and being recognized as Man of the Match was completely deserved due to the remarkable performance he put in.
