IPL has peaked now at that stage where no one can predict who will be the top 4 teams for playoffs. Yesterday Delhi Capitals (DC) beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) in a close encounter and they lost the second consecutive match and failed to secure the birth in playoffs. The race for the playoffs continues as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will lock horns today at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
Both teams are desperate to win and will try to secure their place in the top 4. One match either will turn the fortunes or else rules out of the tournament.
Journey- Lucknow Super Giants and Sunrisers Hyderabad
Lucknow Super Giants lost their last match against mighty Kolkata Knight Riders at their home ground by 98 runs which affected their Net Rate. Lucknow Super Giants need to get their team on a roll last match Lucknow Super Giants played like amateurs and so they fell short of chasing the target. If they want to qualify they need to play a good amount of cricket. Skipper KL Rahul needs to back himself and make sure that he scores runs today. Marcus Stoinis needs to steady his innings and play good shots. Bowlers like Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Mohsin Khan, etc. will keep their momentum high.
Sunrisers Hyderabad lost their last match against Mumbai Indians and played some random shots which made them score just 173 onboard. Travis Head was in fine touch but couldn’t convert into big runs. Bowlers need to plan length accordingly and bowl the last match between Pat Cummins and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar was on the point in bowling rest conceded more runs than them. So, today if they need to win bowling department needs to gear up and give their best then only Sunrisers Hyderabad can qualify for playoffs.
Stats
- Abhishek is striking at 236 against spin this season. He has hit 17 sixes off them, joint highest with his team-mate Heinrich Klaasen.
- Mayank Agarwal strikes at 188.9 against Krunal Pandya but has also fallen to him twice in five innings. He has also been dismissed by Marcus Stoinis twice in three innings.
- Abdul Samad has fallen to Ravi Bishnoi twice in seven balls in the IPL, averaging just 4.0 against him. He has a strike rate of 173.3 against Yash Thakur and has never been dismissed by the fast bowler.
- KL Rahul has smashed Jaydev Unadkat in the IPL for 112 runs off 64 balls, striking at 175.0 with only one dismissal in six innings. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has also dismissed Rahul just once in eight innings.
Head-to-Head: Lucknow Super Giants and Sunrisers Hyderabad
SRH 0-3 LSG. The visitors chased down 183 to win last year’s fixture at this venue
Matchups
Pat Cummins has been outstanding in the middle overs this season. The SRH captain may have only picked six wickets during this phase (overs 7-15) but has an exceptional economy rate of 7.39 across 18 overs bowled – a tremendous stat considering the high-scoring season that this year has been. Cummins’ role will be pivotal against LSG’s enforcers in Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran and Deepak Hooda.
SRH will be tempted to bring in Glenn Phillips who has been due to get a game for some time now. Marco Jansen will be the one to make way in such a scenario with Jaydev Unadkat expected to slot back in. There could also be a temptation to unleash the x-factor of Umran Malik.
Probable XI: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen(wk), Glenn Phillips, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat/Umran Malik. [Impact sub: T Natarajan]
Mohsin Khan has been devastating against left-hand batters with seven wickets from 54 deliveries at an economy of 8.14. The left-arm seamer has also been potent with the new ball with five wickets in the PowerPlay and an economy of just 8.14. So, LSG will hope he can tie down SRH’s dynamic left-left opening pair of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. LSG will ponder about bringing back Quinton de Kock into their line-up, which could see Ashton Turner sitting out.
Probable XI: KL Rahul(c), Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Yash Thakur. [Impact player – Arshin Kulkarni]
Pitch Report
Surfaces at this venue have been extremely good for batting in recent times, starting from the ODI World Cup late last year to the ongoing IPL season. Average score batting first this season has been a shade above 212 with the 200-run mark breached thrice in the four games.
Also Read: IPL 2024: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Will Take Over The Table Toppers Rajasthan Royals (RR)