Big picture

Lucknow Super Giants didn't know what hit them. Tensions and speculation rose, owner-captain relationships in franchise cricket were part of public discourse, and Sunrisers Hyderabad, who chased down 167 with ten wickets and 62 balls to spare, were innocent bystanders amid all of it.

Sure, it didn't lead to the creation of a rivalry between the two teams, but LSG do have a point to prove when they face SRH on Thursday in Hyderabad, the venue where it all unfolded last year. There's been a mega auction, LSG have a new captain in Rishabh Pant, whom they bought for a record INR 27 crores, and a fresh squad.

That was doing the trick in their season opener. They had Delhi Capitals on the ropes at 113 for 6 in a 210-run chase - ESPNcricinfo's Forecaster gave them a 98.44% chance of winning - but LSG's weakest link, their bowling, couldn't convert it.

Ravi Bishnoi and Shardul Thakur were their only international bowlers with significant experience, but Shardul, despite taking two early wickets, was given only two overs, and Bishnoi went for 53. While Avesh Khan has joined the squad, their bowling still looks weak.

Irrespective, SRH are not going to change their approach, especially at home. Against Rajasthan Royals, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma gave them a flying start, which was followed by Ishan Kishan's unbeaten 106 off 47. Each of their top six had a strike rate of 200 or more as they finished one short of their own record of the highest IPL total.

It was a high-scoring game and SRH bowlers, too, went for plenty. Harshal Patel apart, all their fast bowlers conceded more than ten runs an over. Even their captain, Pat Cummins, leaked 60 in his four overs without taking a wicket. While SRH will aim to improve with the ball, it's far from a concern at the moment.

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New loyalties

Aiden Markram, who captains Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20, was part of Sunrisers Hyderabad from 2022 to 2024. He played 36 innings and scored 849 runs at a strike rate of 131.01 for them. Now, he will open LSG's batting against his former team.

Team news and likely XIIs

Prince Yadav is likely to make way for Avesh. The rest of LSG's line-up is likely to remain the same.

Lucknow Super Giants (probable): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Ayush Badoni, 6 David Miller, 7 Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Digvesh Rathi, 12 Manimaran Siddharth

SRH are unlikely to tinker with their line-up.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (probable): 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ishan Kishan (wk), 4 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 Aniket Verma, 7 Abhinav Manohar, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Simarjeet Singh, 10 Harshal Patel, 11 Mohammed Shami, 12 Adam Zampa

Big question

SRH's top order will come out all guns blazing, we know that, but what are the ways in which they can be stopped? Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan are all left-hand batters, so is it worth bringing in Ravi Bishnoi - who mostly bowls sliders and googlies - early on?

In the spotlight: Pat Cummins and Rishabh Pant

Pat Cummins is coming off an injury layoff. SRH's season opener was Cummins' first T20 since last year's MLC, which finished in July 2024. While all eyes will be on SRH's batters, Cummins' ability to bowl dry in the middle overs and dismiss the opposition's best batters can be match-defining. If he's able to shake off his rust, the team will be better for it.

The gap between expectations and reality continues to exist with regard to Rishabh Pant's T20 career. There's a case to be made about him promoting himself to the top of the order, or at least choosing an entry point where he doesn't have to face spin right away. His six-ball duck in LSG's opener disrupted Nicholas Pooran's flow at the other end. Will Pant be able to put that behind him with conditions likely to be in his favour?

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Key stats

• Head and Abhishek have the best partnership strike rate - 225.08 - for a pair who has opened in at least 15 T20s.

• The last time these two teams met, Travishek became the only duo to score 100-plus runs twice in the powerplay in T20s. It was also the earliest, in 9.4 overs, a target above 150 was chased down in the IPL, beating Deccan Chargers' chase of 155 in 12 overs against Mumbai Indians in 2008.

• David Miller has a T20 strike rate of less than 100 against the SRH duo from Australia, 82.6 vs Cummins (two dismissals in eight innings) and 93.75 vs Adam Zampa (two dismissals in five innings).

Pitch and conditions

It's always flat in Hyderabad, at least it seems that way every time SRH are batting. Expect the same once more. The evening will follow a hot day with no chances of rain.

Next three fixtures

SRH will travel to Vishakhapatnam to face Delhi Capitals on March 30. They will then travel to Kolkata to take on Kolkata Knight Riders on April 3 and return to Hyderabad to face Gujarat Titans on April 6.

LSG's next two games are at home. They will face Punjab Kings on April 1 and Mumbai Indians on April 4. They will then travel to Kolkata to face KKR on April 6.

Quotes

"I haven't had the greatest of luck with injuries in the April-May months of the year in the past. I've come here off a bit of a break, had a few months to get my back right. I've come here really fresh mentally and physically. Hopefully, that holds me in good stead for the tournament."
Mitchell Marsh hopes to be injury-free this IPL season