IPL 2024: SRH host LSG as playoff race tightens
Sunrisers Hyderabad will be up against Lucknow Super Giants in Match 57 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). Both teams have fared similarly this season, having won six of their 11 games apiece. Hence, the winner of this duel will take a leap in the playoff race. Notably, SRH are coming off a thumping defeat against Mumbai Indians. Here is the match preview.
Pitch report and telecast details
Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium will host this duel on May 8. The surface here will assist batters and one expects a competitive score on the board. Bowlers will want to count on their variations. The match starts at 7:30pm IST and one can watch it live on the Star Sports Network and stream on Jio Cinema.
A look at the H2H record
As LSG made their debut only last season, the two sides have crossed swords just thrice. The Super Giants won all three games, including two in the last season. The Orange Army would be confident on breaking this streak as they have win three of their four matches in IPL 2024, as per ESPNcricinfo.
Both sides coming off emphatic defeats
Both SRH and LSG have some thinking to do as their respective last outings weren't fruitful. LSG's recent struggles have been majorly due to the firepower in their pace-bowling department. KL Rahul's leadership has also come under the scanner. Meanwhile, SRH's destructive batting line-up hasn't delivered much in recent matches. Even their bowlers faltered during their recent loss against MI.
A look at the two teams
SRH probable XI: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Mayank Agarwal, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Marco Jansen, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan. Impact Player: Mayank Markande. LSG probable XI: KL Rahul (c & wk), Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Ashton Turner, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur. Impact Player: Arshin Kulkarni.
Here are the key performers
SRH openers Abhishek Sharma (189.74) and Travis Head (195.21) own the top-two highest strike rates among batters with 300-plus runs this year. Natarajan has 15 scalps in eight games this season. KL Rahul leads the run tally for LSG with 431 runs at an impressive strike rate of 141.31. Krunal Pandya has an economy rate of 7.63 this year.
