After Confrontation Episode, LSG Owner's Special Gesture For Rishabh Pant

A dominant all-round display from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) saw them seal a five-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2025 on Thursday. Shardul Thakur bagged a four-wicket haul on a placid track as LSG restricted SRH to 190/9, before chasing down the target with 23 balls to spare, courtesy of Nicholas Pooran and Mitchell Marsh's fiery half-centuries. The win came as a big relief for LSG captain Rishabh Pant, especially after the crushing loss to Delhi Capitals earlier this week.

After the loss to DC on Monday, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was seen having an animated chat with Pant after the match. However, as LSG turned the tables on SRH on Thursday, Goenka seemed like a relieved man as he gave Pant a tight hug. An image of the same incident has gone viral on social media.

Sanjiv Goenka gives a tight hug to Rishabh Pant. #SRHvsLSG
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SRH vs LSG memeshttps://t.co/cgdwTzaf3R pic.twitter.com/Aaq8L129tf

Sanjiv Goenka gives a tight hug to Rishabh Pant. pic.twitter.com/yHcnCCmxXP

Sanjiv Goenka warmly embraces Rishabh Pant with a tight hug.#IPL2025 #LSGvsSRH pic.twitter.com/G6KBqdM96T

Coming to the match, SRH was put to bat first by LSG, who had opted to bowl first. Shardul restricted LSG to 15/2, but a 61-run partnership between Travis Head (47 in 28 balls, with five fours and a six) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (32 in 28 balls, with two fours) stabilised the innings for a bit. Cameos did come from Heinrich Klaasen (26 in 17 balls, with two fours and a six), Aniket Varma (36 in 13 balls, with five sixes) and skipper Pat Cummins (18 in four balls, with three sixes), which pushed SRH to 190/9 in their 20 overs.

During the run-chase, LSG lost Aiden Markram early, but a 116-run stand between Nicholas Pooran (70 in 26 balls, with six fours and six sixes) and Mitchell Marsh (52 in 31 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and a fine cameo in the end from Abdul Samad (22* in eight balls, with two fours and two sixes) pushed LSG to a five-wicket win with 23 balls left. Pat (2/29) was top bowler for SRH.

Shardul was named the 'Player of the Match' for his fiery spell.

With this win, LSG strengthened their position in the tournament, while SRH will look to bounce back in their upcoming matches as the IPL season progresses.

(With ANI Inputs)