HYDERABAD: The race for the playoffs is entering the home straight. The teams clustered in the middle of the table are looking to upset the calculations of the top four with the rained out match between Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants further upsetting the field as the teams got one point each.
Sunrisers Hyderabad will also be looking to stay in the mix and Saturday’s first double header match against LSG should give an indication of the direction the teams are headed.
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The hosts are optimistic after Abdul Samad’s heroic last ball in Jaipur. They’ve had some tough sessions before the match and are hoping to match the spring with some exciting running at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
The fact that the Sunrisers won one of their five home games is an indication of their struggle to finish games, many of which were low scoring chases. Excluding the 72 run defeat to Rajasthan Royals in the season opener, their defeats to Mumbai (14 runs), Delhi (7 runs) and Kolkata (5) showed a clear lack of intent.
But Aiden Markram and Co. are hoping the tide has turned with a four-wicket win over Rajasthan, which has made their away record – three wins from five matches – look better than their home show. One of the two away defeats was against Lucknow, a low scoring fixture, which LSG won by five wickets.
The last three games have seen mixed results for LSG. They lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore by 18 runs in a match which saw tempers soar, a no hit against Chennai Super Kings and a 56 run defeat to table top Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
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SRH vs LSG IPL 2023: Lucknow looks to return to winning ways against Hyderabad
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Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) can’t wait to get back to winning ways against a feisty Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) with young spinner Ravi Bishnoi holding the key in a must-win IPL match in Hyderabad on Saturday.
LSG, having lost two of their last three games, will take a huge step forward if they can overcome Aiden Markram’s side, who languish in ninth place in the 10-team table.
Krunal Pandya-led LSG are currently fifth with 11 points and feature heavily in the play-off mix.
However, on an Uppal track which has produced mediocre crew totals, the role of spinners will be key, and this is where Bishnoi, veteran ‘Impact Sub’ Amit Mishra and skipper Krunal himself come into play.
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The spin troika will have their duties cut out against a Hyderabad lineup whose batting will depend on their three overseas recruits: Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen and Glenn Phillips. Phillips is a new contender in the playing XI after Rs 13.25 crore bought Harry Brook’s disappointing returns of 163 runs from his first nine matches.
With his quick googlies Bishnoi, the team’s best bowler with 12 wickets, could trouble the overseas trio, while Mishra’s guile and Krunal’s steady wicket-to-wicket bowling could be the key against the’ Orange Army”.
When comparing man to man, the LSG spinners are in a better position as SRH is already hampered by Washington Sundar’s withdrawal from the tournament. The only spinner who has performed well for them is Mayank Markande, who has 11 wickets in eight matches at an economical rate of 7.31.
Hyderabad, which looked like a good team on paper, suffered in many respects but mainly due to the loss of form of two Indian top batsmen Mayank Agarwal (9 matches 187 runs) and Rahul Tripathi (10 matches, 237 runs). Their poor strike rates of 114.02 and 127.41 tell the whole story.
As for LSG batting, regular skipper KL Rahul’s injury proved to be a blessing in disguise with Quinton de Kock and Kyle Mayers attacking from the start.
However, Marcus Stoinis (239 with strike rate of 139) and Nicholas Pooran (248 with 160), despite having some good hitting behind them, need to do more.
The away game will certainly offer the side an opportunity to make the most of their batting firepower, but they will also have to contend with the wily pairing of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan.
SRH will try to increase their misery. Lucknow’s last win was two weeks ago against Punjab and with 11 points, SRH will also be wary of the backlash from LSG. Quinton de Kock, who replaced KL Rahul at the top, looked in good shape and even the 32-year-old left arm spinner Swapnil Singhpart of the IPL since 2008 with Mumbai Indians, PBKS and now LSG, he finally got to play against Gujarat.
Krunal Pandya he destroyed SRH with his double shot in one at Lucknow. The hosts will remember that and that LSG has other astute spinners in Ravi Bishnoi and Amit Mishra.
Clock IPL 2023: Desperate LSG aim for a big win against SRH
