Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) seized early control of their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) after a sharp start with the ball at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday.
After being invited to bat first, SRH stumbled to 11/3 inside the powerplay before Rishabh Pant produced a moment of individual brilliance to deepen the crisis.
Watch the moment of brilliance from the LSG captain here:
What is already being considered as an early contender for the catch of the tournament came at the start of the 8th over, with Digvesh Singh Rathi picking up his first wicket of the season.
Liam Livingstone, looking to break free from the shackles, shuffled across the crease as he looked to go for an ambitious scoop shot to unlock the gap at fine leg. However, Rathi spotted the movement early and took pace off the delivery, sending a much slower loopy ball that deceived Livingstone.
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The English all-rounder completely mistimed his effort as the ball looped awkwardly off his shoulder, and appeared to hang in the air for a split second before heading back down towards the pitch. .
Keeping wickets, Pant initially leaped in the air, expecting the ball to sail over him. However, once he spotted the ball looping in front of him, the LSG captain recalibrated in a split second and aborted the jump to put in a sharp dive.
Pant lunged forward with one arm outstretched and managed to snaffle the ball just inches before it could hit the turf.
The dismissal of Livingstone on 14 off 20 balls left SRH at 26/4, reinforcing LSG's early dominance and denting the hosts' middle-order plans. It also marked a notable contribution from Pant in his leadership role, underlining his impact beyond the bat.
SRH couldn't capitalise on that early start with the ball though as Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy stitched together a 116-run partnership off just 63 balls to help the home team recover.
Klaasen scored 62 off 41 balls, while Reddy chipped in with 56 off 33 balls as SRH managed to post 156/9 after 20 overs.
In the broader context of IPL 2026, both teams haven't had the best starts to their campaigns. LSG lost by 6 wickets in their season opener against Delhi Capitals. This outing marks their second game of the tournament.
SRH also fell short in their first game of the season against last year's champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru. They bounced back in their second game against Kolkata Knight Riders, winning by 65 runs and are now looking to march up the table with back-to-back wins.
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