Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden hailed Nicholas Pooran for playing a crucial role in Lucknow Super Giants’ six-wicket win against the reigning champions Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Tuesday.

While chasing 211 runs, the pressure was on LSG as they were in a spot of bother at 88-3 after 11 overs. With Padikkal playing a slow knock of 13 off 19 balls, the pressure was increasing on Marcus Stoinis. However, Pooran was able to take it away with his blistering cameo of 15-ball 34 with the help of three fours and two maximums.

Pooran added 70 runs for the fourth wicket with Stoinis to keep LSG in the contest. Stoinis went on to score an unbeaten 124 off 63 balls to help his team get over the line in the run-chase. Furthermore, Deepak Hooda played a handy knock of 6-ball 17.

“The 19 balls that Padikkal took up before his dismissal, that was putting Marcus Stoinis under enormous pressure. When he was bowled this evening, that was probably the best outcome for LSG because it brought in the accelerator to LSG. Nicholas Pooran is the cleanest hitter in the world, I think, in this IPL. Such a talented free hitter of the ball,” Matthew Hayden said on Star Sports.

“Got great options against both pace and spin. At that stage, when you’ve got a Ruturaj Gaikwad-like innings forming, as Marcus Stoinis was creating, they were actually going neck to neck as well. It was almost like a competition within the competition as to the stabilisers of the innings and then the finishers, Shivam Dube and Nicholas Pooran, that were just blasting away. And some great rearguard action from Deepak Hooda as well,” he further added.

Hayden added that LSG could find it tricky to find the right batting position for Pooran with Devdutt Padikkal not being in the best of forms in IPL 2024.

“Well, I’ve had this discussion with my mate, Justin Langer, around where they utilize him. And there’s two schools of thought. There’s a school of thought that says, we need someone batting in that 5 and 6 position that can bring a game home. And Nicholas Pooran can do exactly that. But then you look at, you know, someone like Devdutt Padikkal, that hasn’t had the tournament that you’d expect him to have. And you’ve got a world-class player in Nicky P that can come up the order with the Stoinis and in combination at 4 and can bat longer,” Hayden said.

Lucknow Super Giants will next take on Rajasthan Royals at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Saturday.