Nicholas Pooran attains numerous milestones with breathtaking 63 vs MI
What's the story
In a spectacular display of power hitting, Nicholas Pooran of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) smashed a brilliant 63 off just 21 balls against Mumbai Indians (MI) at Wankhede Stadium on Monday. This was his maiden fifty of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, which powered him to several milestones. The southpaw went past 1,500 runs for LSG and also brought up 10,500 runs in T20 cricket. Here are further details.
Game impact
Pooran goes berserk after a dismal start to the season
Pooran's explosive innings came as a surprise after his lackluster performance in the previous eight innings, where he managed just 82 runs at a strike rate of 81.19. However, against MI, Pooran found his rhythm and launched an all-out attack while batting at three. He dominated a 94-run stand with Mitchell Marsh (44) as LSG posted their highest-ever powerplay total (90/1). Pooran eventually fell to Corbin Bosch in the ninth over.
Fiery fifty
Pooran only behind Abhishek
Pooran departed for 63 off 21 balls, a knock laced with a solitary four and eight sixes. Having completed his fifty off just 16 balls, Pooran became the second batter to hammer five IPL fifties under 20 balls, as per Cricbuzz. He is only behind Abhishek Sharma, who owns six such scores. Pooran also smoked the second-fastest fifty for LSG. The West Indies star also tops this list, having tallied a 15-ball half-century against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2023.
Landmark
First batter with this feat
As per ESPNcricinfo, Pooran became the first batter to complete 1,500 runs in LSG colors. His latest efforts powered him to 1,526 from 52 games at an average of 37.21. His strike rate is a stunning 174.2. While this was Pooran's 11th fifty for LSG, only KL Rahul has breached the mark more times for the team (12). Meanwhile, the southpaw has hit 114 maximums for LSG. No other batter even has 60 sixes.
Career
Nearly 2,500 runs in IPL; 10,500-plus runs in T20s
Coming to his overall IPL stats, Pooran has completed 2,438 runs from 99 matches at 32.07 (SR: 164.84). This was his 15th fifty in the league. 307 of his runs have come in 12 games versus MI at 34.11 (SR: 194.3, 50s: 2). Meanwhile, Pooran has also gone past 10,500 T20 runs. He now owns 10,516 runs from 452 matches at 29.62. This includes four tons, 64 fifties, and a strike rate of 147.44.