Hyderabad, Lucknow to fight it out to remain in contention for playoffs

When Lucknow Super Giants set foot at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Saturday (May 13), it will have been more than two weeks since they recorded a win. Sunrisers Hyderabad, on the other hand, are coming off a morale-boosting win - they successfully chased a mammoth 214 against Rajasthan Royals at their home. 

The reverse fixture in Lucknow saw the Super Giants spinners apply a choke on the Hyderabad batters, and restrict them to 121. Their batters then chased it down, with no hiccups, in 16 overs. 

Things to watch out for

Qualification scenarios?

LSG are at 11 points after 11 games and will need to win the rest of their matches to ensure a playoff spot. A single loss will mean that they can only get to 15 points, significantly reducing their chances of finishing in the top-four. SRH have four wins after 10 games - so, they can reach only 14 points with one more defeat. It’s highly unlikely that they will qualify with just seven wins. Their position in the points table means that this is a direct shootout between the two sides, with the losing team all but out of the tournament. 

LSG batters outside Lucknow

LSG’s batting unit has enjoyed batting outside Lucknow. They have the highest away run rate amongst all teams. They have also hit 22.2% of all balls faced beyond the fence, the second-best for any away team. LSG batters will fancy their chances against this middling SRH bowling attack.

SRH batters vs LSG spinners

This season, Hyderabad batters have struggled to get going against spin. Their batting unit has the second-worst run rate and the third-poorest balls/dismissal while facing spin. Even while chasing 214 in their last game, they scored at 7.9 RPO against RR spinners. They will take heart from how LSG spinners have underperformed outside Lucknow. Their spin attack has the worst away numbers for any team in IPL 2023. 

Ground Details

Before the start of this IPL, the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad was a paradise for pacers. They had bagged a wicket every 19.2 balls, compared to 27.5 balls by spinners. However, this season has been different. 

Both pacers and spinners have been neck-to-neck. Seamers have bagged more wickets (62.5%) than spinners (37.5%). But, the strike rates have been almost equal. Spinners have a slight edge as they have bagged a wicket every 19.4 balls compared to 19.8 by pacers.

The average first innings score in Hyderabad has been 171, which goes down to 157 while chasing. In the five matches played here, the chasing team has won just once. This was when the home team successfully chased 145 against Punjab Kings. 

Tactical Nous

Rahul Tripathi vs Krunal Pandya

A matchup to watch out for is between Tripathi and Krunal. Tripathi has been dismissed three times against Krunal in T20s, which is the second joint-most for a bowler in T20s.

SRH batters failing to step up individually

Hyderabad have been one of the more underperforming batting units of this IPL so far. Their batters are second to last when it comes to run rate and their balls/dismissal also rank in the bottom half of the pile. That’s not even the worst part. Their batters have registered just six fifties, the lowest for any team this season.

LSG’s over-reliance on overseas batters

LSG have been a bit over reliant on their overseas batters when it comes to the big knocks and also when it comes to scoring runs at a good rate. Their overseas batters have scored eight out of 11 half-centuries. 

Also, their overseas batters have scored at a strike rate of 151 and an average of 27. The corresponding numbers for their Indian batters stand at 115 and 18. 

Probable XIs

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Anmolpreet Singh (IS), Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram (C), Glenn Phillips, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Vivrant Sharma, Abdul Samad, Marco Jansen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, T Natarajan (IS).

Lucknow Super Giants: Kyle Mayers, Quinton de Kock, Manan Vohra, Ayush Badoni (IS), Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Krunal Pandya (C), Krishnappa Gowtham, Swapnil Singh, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur (IS).