Pooran: ‘I’m just blessed with incredible talent’

Nicholas Pooran is a six-hitting machine. He has already hit 13 sixes in two outings in IPL 2025.

Six of those came in Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) five-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). And yet, he says he does not “plan to hit sixes” but only tries to “time the ball”.

“I just try my best to get in good positions and if it’s there, just time the ball nicely,” Pooran said after his 26-ball 70.

“In the last nine years, I have been working on my craft. Obviously, I have been getting the opportunity to bat higher up in the powerplay as well. It is really important to cash in when the wicket is nice and obviously when the match-up is there you try your best to execute your skills.”

Pooran walked out to bat on the tenth ball of LSG’s 191-run chase in Hyderabad. It did not take long for him to get going, hitting his second ball for a four and taking two sixes off Simarjeet Singh in the third over.

By the time the powerplay ended, Pooran was on 44 off 16 with four fours and an equal number of sixes. He completed his half-century in just 18 balls, his third-fastest in the IPL.

“I’ve never worked on my bat speed, I’m just blessed with incredible talent,” he said.

“I am really happy that I have put in the work over the years, and I am getting the reward on the cricket field and winning games for my team as well.”

At LSG, it came down to having one of Pooran and Rishabh Pant batting in the top order.

And the team decided that Pooran should be given that freedom to bat at No. 3 with captain Pant moving down into the middle order.

“Mostly the thought was to give freedom to him,” Pant said after his first win as LSG captain.

“We know what damage he can do down the order. I like that freedom too, but you have got to give someone that charge that you have to go and express yourself. The way he has been batting is phenomenal for us.” (ESPNcricinfo)