There's a new finisher in town!
For a long time Abdul Samad has only flattered to deceive.
A promising talent, the Jammu and Kashmiri all-rounder made his IPL debut with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2020.
Batting in the lower middle order, opportunities to bat came few and far between.
Playing 50 matches for SRH -- he played 16 of them last season alone-- his biggest personal contribution came last season when he hit a 10-ball 37 not out to help SRH set 287 for 3 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Ahead of the auction last year, he was let go by SRH, an opportunity that Lucknow Super Giants scooped up. Seeing Samad's potential, the Zaheer Khan-mentored team bought his services for Rs 4.2 crores at the auction table.
LSG lost their first game to Delhi Capitals in a tight game earlier this week and had to make amends quickly. They brought on Samad to bolster the lower order and he did his job to perfection.
Chasing 191 for victory, Nicholas Pooran (70 off 26 balls) and Impact Player Mitch Marsh (52 off 31) helped set up the chase nicely. LSG lost a few wickets in the middle.
With 53 needed off 54 balls, Samad walked in to bat on his LSG debut, and hit an unbeaten 22 off 8 balls inclusive 2 fours and 2 maximums (at a strike rate of 275) to combine with David Miller and help take his team home.
The new finisher in town received praise on social media, sone even questioning SRH for off-loading him...
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