One year later, the Lucknow Super Giants dugout experienced two distinctly different moments following their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. In 2024, LSG faced a home defeat against the 2016 champions, prompting a vigorous response from owner Sanjiv Goenka, who engaged in a spirited discussion with then-captain KL Rahul. In contrast, on Thursday, Goenka was all smiles as he embraced current captain Rishabh Pant after LSG triumphed over SRH by five wickets in their second match of IPL 2025.

Pant's decision to bowl first on the Hyderabad pitch raised some eyebrows, particularly after Sunrisers had posted an impressive 286 runs in their opening match against the Rajasthan Royals while batting first. Nevertheless, the bowlers, spearheaded by Shardul Thakur, justified the decision by limiting the hosts to 190 runs for nine wickets in their 20 overs. Thakur, who had gone unsold at the previous auction and secured a last-minute IPL contract with Lucknow, claimed four wickets.

Nicholas Pooran and Mitchell Marsh delivered an explosive performance against the Sunrisers' bowling attack, both achieving their second consecutive half-centuries as Lucknow successfully chased down the target with 23 balls remaining.

After the match, Goenka could not contain his joy and embraced Pant warmly. Team mentor Zaheer Khan was seen smiling broadly at the heartwarming scene. The trio shared a brief conversation before moving on to the post-match presentation. This moment came just days after Goenka had an animated discussion with Pant following a heartbreaking loss to Delhi Capitals in their opener in Vizag, which had left fans concerned about a repeat of the KL Rahul situation.

It is worth noting that the relationship between Rahul and Goenka had soured following the widely criticized incident last year, leading to Rahul's departure from the franchise ahead of the November auction, where he was subsequently signed by Delhi for INR 14 crore.

Pant heaves sigh of relief

Pant expressed that securing his first victory as captain of LSG brought him immense relief. He commended Thakur for his outstanding performance and acknowledged Prince Yadav, who took the wicket of Tavis Head in his IPL debut.

"It’s a significant relief, but as a team, we emphasize the importance of the process. We should not become overly elated with a win or excessively disheartened by a loss. Our focus should remain on what we can control; my mentor advised me to concentrate on those aspects, and that is precisely what I did. It was encouraging to see Prince's bowling, and Thakur also performed exceptionally well," he stated.

Read Also: CSK vs RCB IPL 2025: Gaikwad's Opening Return? Bhuvneshwar's First Game? Predicted XIs

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