Avesh Khan has been with LSG since IPL 2025. Credits - AFP
IPL 2026 was truly at its best last Sunday, with two enthralling matches. In the afternoon game, Lucknow Super Giants and Sunrisers Hyderabad played a tight contest, with Rishabh Pant taking LSG over the line.
Against SRH’s tight bowling, Lucknow were under the pump throughout the chase, but batting at number 3, Pant played a captain’s knock and showcased his nerves of steel.
He anchored the innings and played the anchor’s role initially, but in the end, he took over in a gung-ho fashion to take LSG home.
As Pant finished off the game, LSG bagged its first points of the season. The captain scored an unbeaten 68, and he finished off the game with a boundary, but the match-winning shot came under scrutiny.
Avesh Khan almost cost LSG the game
In the final over of the match, Rishabh Pant took on Jaydev Unadkat. He slammed the first two balls for boundaries to level the scores, before hitting the fifth ball for a slapping boundary towards long-off to end the game.
However, Avesh Khan's stunt didn't hog the limelight during the game, as neither the umpires nor the Sunrisers showed any distress, but the netizens have started taking shots at the LSG pacer for his lack of intelligence. So did Avesh do anything against the laws?
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What does the ICC rule state?
Accordingly, when Avesh Khan intervened with the ball, the ball was still in play and didn't cross the boundary. Legally, the ball should have been deemed a dead ball as per the Marylebone Cricket Club's (MCC) laws of cricket.
"Either umpire shall call and signal Dead ball when intervening in a case of unfair play under 20.4.2.1," the laws of cricket by MCC state. Having said that, the on-field umpires have the final say in these matters.
Although the ball won't have stopped and would have crossed the boundary, Avesh Khan's intervention might not have cost LSG the game. Even if it had been deemed a dead ball, LSG would have had two balls remaining to score one run to win the contest.
Rishabh Pant's finesse won it for LSG
After opening their IPL 2026 campaign with a defeat, pressure was on LSG and its captain, Rishabh Pant. Bowling first, Lucknow had a brilliant start with the ball, with Mohammed Shami and Prince Yadav breathing fire.
They restricted SRH for 26/4 with the new ball, but Nitish Kumar Reddy's valiant half-century took Hyderabad to 156/9.
In the chase, Pant demoted himself to the number three spot against SRH, and the decision paid off for LSG. Aiden Markram scored a fiery 45 at the top of the order, while Pant played the anchor's role. He initially played a run-a-ball knock before taking off in the final minutes.
The LSG skipper remained unbeaten on 68 off 50 balls, decorating his knock with nine boundaries. Eventually, LSG bagged its maiden points in their second game of the season.
Next, they will face the Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh on Saturday.
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