Dale Steyn has launched a direct attack on Lucknow Super Giants’ leadership after the franchise backed Nicholas Pooran in a Super Over against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, only for the left-hander to be dismissed immediately and for LSG to fall short in the Indian Premier League 2026.
Steyn said the decision reflected poor judgement, arguing that Pooran—once among the most feared hitters in T20 cricket—has been struggling badly with his timing and confidence. He claimed the move backfired in the most unforgiving way possible: Pooran was sent in during the tie-break and Sunil Narine struck on the very first ball of the Super Over. LSG managed just a single run in that mini-innings, and KKR chased the revised target comfortably.
Pooran’s tournament numbers underline Steyn’s criticism. In the 19th edition of the IPL, he has scored 82 runs in total from the competition so far, with an average of 10.25. In the main match versus KKR, the 30-year-old managed only nine runs from 12 deliveries before Varun Chakaravarthy dismissed him and ended his stay.
Super Over call and Steyn’s reaction
- After the regular contest with KKR, LSG went to a Super Over where Pooran was chosen to bat again despite his recent struggles.
- LSG skipper Rishabh Pant and head coach Justin Langer supported the selection, pairing Pooran with Aiden Markram for the tie-break.
- Narine, Pooran’s long-time nemesis, struck instantly, removing the left-handed batter on the first ball of the Super Over.
- Once Pooran was out, Steyn used social media to question the wisdom of the decision, writing that at this rate the batter “can’t even touch water if he fell out of a boat.”
- Steyn followed up with criticism of the LSG management, labelling the selection a “criminal” move given Narine’s record against Pooran and the batter’s struggles.
- He highlighted that Pooran has been dismissed cheaply in Super Overs in the IPL, arguing that there were other options available who could have been trusted more in that pressure situation.
- Steyn also referenced a Caribbean Premier League Super Over in 2014, where Pooran faced Narine five times, saw four dot balls, and ultimately lost his wicket on the fifth delivery.
- Steyn concluded that when a team is chasing revival during the season, it cannot afford to back a batter who has not produced all year, especially when the match situation demands execution.
Steyn’s comments also pointed to alternative names, saying LSG could have looked at other players such as Mitch Marsh, Rishabh Pant, or Mukul Choudhary rather than placing Pooran in a first-ball Super Over role. He added that the batter has not been scoring big consistently this season and suggested the franchise should have chosen someone with better momentum at that stage.
Steyn further insisted that while Pooran is an exceptionally talented player, the immediate priority of winning matches means teams must avoid high-risk calls. He stressed that trying to turn the season around requires fewer mistakes, particularly at this level of tournament cricket.
With the defeat to KKR on Sunday, Lucknow slipped to the bottom of the points table, collecting just four points from eight matches.
