Former South African fast bowler Dale Steyn expressed his anger against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) management after the franchise suffered its fifth consecutive defeat in IPL 2026.
Steyn first took to Twitter to comment on LSG batsman Nicholas Pooran’s terrible form in IPL 2026 and later called the Lucknow Super Giants management’s decision-making the culprit.
After the match was tied on Sunday, Lucknow Super Giants had to face defeat in the Super Over against Kolkata Knight Riders.
“Couldn’t reach water” – Stan on LSG star
In the Super Over, LSG sent in-form Nicholas Pooran to bat with Aiden Markram. For KKR, Sunil Narine bowled the over and dismissed both the batsmen for golden ducks.
Puran was out on the very first ball of the Super Over while trying to slash a fast-turning ball down the leg side. After his dismissal, Steyn went to Ax and lamented over Pooran’s poor form.
If he had fallen from the boat he would not have hit the water.
hard times
– Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) 26 April 2026
In IPL 2026, LSG batsman Nicholas Pooran has scored only 82 runs in 8 matches at a strike rate of 81.18.
“LSG’s decision almost criminal” – Stan
Speaking to host broadcaster JioHotstar after the match, Steyn questioned the LSG think-tank’s decision to send Nicholas Pooran in to bat in the Super Over given his extremely poor form.
In stipulated time, Pooran fought back and scored 9 runs in 15 balls before being bowled by Varun Chakravarthy.
Incidentally, Pooran has been a part of a T20 match that has gone to Super Over five times. Even though he is considered one of the best T20 players of the last few years, Pooran was out for a duck four times in the Super Over, and in the second one he was out for just one run.
“Three super overs, three zeroes for Nicholas Pooran in the IPL. So, yes, absolutely. Would you send someone else? Absolutely. You have players like Mitch Marsh, Rishabh Pant and Mukul Choudhary. Looking at Pooran’s recent form, there were other options too,” Steyn said.
“He hasn’t scored more than 30 or 40 runs this season, I don’t know the exact number, but sending him on the first ball in the Super Over to score runs is almost a criminal decision,” he said.
Also Read: “Rinku’s innings was amazing”: Ajinkya Rahane praises Rinku Singh after Super Over win against LSG in IPL 2026
“I don’t think even Pooran believes he can do it now” – Dale Steyn
Dale Steyn continued to talk about Nicholas Pooran’s poor form and said that an out-of-form batsman like him should not play at a crucial stage.
“It could have gone either way, but at this stage of the season, when you’re desperate to win, you don’t send in a batsman who hasn’t performed well all season. You go in with players who are hitting the ball well, guys you trust to clear the ropes, or at least get back to the job. I don’t even think Nicholas Pooran believes he can do that right now; he Very poor form,” Steyn said.
He added, “It’s unfortunate because he’s an amazing player. But when you’re trying to revive your season, you can’t make mistakes like that, not at this level.”
It was Lucknow Super Giants’ fifth consecutive defeat on Sunday. With just two wins from eight matches, they are now at the bottom of the points table. Another loss would end their season and miss the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
