Lucknow Super Giants batter and former West Indies player Nicholas Pooran has registered his poorest performance in T20 cricket this year, continuing a decline after his international retirement.

In the recent Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pooran scored only one run from four balls before being run out by Ishan Kishan.

Pooran scored a modest eight runs in the campaign opener versus Delhi Capitals, dismissed by a slower delivery from Lungi Ngidi. Throughout 2026, he has made 121 runs in nine innings, averaging 13.44 with a strike rate of 117.47, and his highest score this year is 33.

Since retiring from international cricket last year, Pooran, nicknamed ‘Nicky P’, has played 46 T20 innings, amassing 1,214 runs at an average of 32.81 with one century and seven fifties. However, his strike rate has declined to 130.11, below his career average of 147.82, reducing his previously intimidating impact in the format. His last half-century was in December against Gulf Giants for MI Emirates in the International T20 League (ILT20) in the UAE.

In the recent IPL match, Lucknow Super Giants chose to bowl first and restricted Sunrisers Hyderabad to 26 for four early on. However, a 116-run partnership between Heinrich Klaasen, who scored 62 in 41 balls, and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made 56 in 33 balls, propelled the team to a total of 156 for nine in 20 overs.

Bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar Shami (2/9), Prince Yadav (2/34), and Avesh Khan (2/36) were effective, while Manimaran Siddharth conceded 29 runs in his spell.

During the chase, Lucknow lost Mitch Marsh early, but a 40-run stand between Aiden Markram (45 in 27 balls) and Rishabh Pant revived the innings. Pant remained unbeaten alongside Mukul Choudhary (2*), securing the victory with five wickets and one ball to spare. Harsh Dubey was the best bowler for Sunrisers Hyderabad, taking 2/18.