Lucknow Super Giants may have lost their previous outing, but they won’t be too despondent given how hard they pushed Chennai Super Kings while chasing a formidable target. Sunriers Hyderabad were beaten black and blue in their opener by Rajasthan Royals, with only some late flails from Abdul Samad and Umran Malik preventing their net run-rate from plunging to unsalvageable levels. On their home turf in Lucknow, the Super Giants will be tough opponents, but Sunrisers will undoubtedly be boosted by the South African duo of Aiden Markram and Henrik Klaasen.
Markram, who led South Africa to the Under-19 World Cup in 2014, will take over the leadership from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Klaasen will lend some heft to a middle order that did little in the first game. But all the batters will have to be wary of the threat posed by Lucknow’s attack. Avesh Khan took 4-24 against them in 2022, while Mark Wood and Ravi Bishnoi have been two of the standout bowlers in the tournament so far this year.
How Hyderabad’s top order deals with Wood’s pace could well dictate the outcome, though Lucknow have more than enough batting firepower of their own. With Quinton de Kock now having returned from international duty, there could be a tweak to the line-up. It’s hard to imagine Kyle Mayers, currently striking at over 200, being benched, while Nicholas Pooran was a 16-crore buy at the auction. It could be Marcus Stoinis that makes way.
Hyderabad will also hope that Harry Brook, one of the most eye-catching talents in world cricket, gets to grip with Indian conditions quickly after this struggles in the first game. If Brook can tee off, this contest will be a lot closer than the form guide would suggest.
Venue and Time
Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, 7.30 PM IST.
Toss and expected conditions
This could be one of the few venues in the IPL where it might make sense to bat first. Lucknow won their tournament opener in that fashion, and their slower bowlers didn’t seem to have too many issues with gripping the ball later in the evening. There was pace and bounce for Wood to thrive, and the temperature of 31C at the start of play shouldn’t prove overly uncomfortable.
Head-to-Head
Lucknow won their only previous encounter, in the 2022 season.
Possible XIs and Impact Player Watch
Till now, Lucknow have used Krishnappa Gowtham and Ayush Badoni as their Impact Players, and they may well decide to play the full complement of four foreign players, with de Kock replacing Stoinis. Few of the Hyderbabad players did themselves justice in their opening game, and they may well give the same combination a chance to redeem themselves, with Abdul Samad again filling in as Impact Player.
Lucknow Super Giants: Kyle Mayers, Quinton de Kock (WK), KL Rahul (C), Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran, Krishnappa Gowtham, Mark Wood, Avesh Khan, Yash Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Mayank Agarwal, Harry Brook, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram(C), Abhishek Sharma, Washington Sundar, Henrik Klaasen (WK), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik.