SRH out to maximise batting momentum in Hyderabad homecoming

Both Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants arrive in Hyderabad still searching for early-season clarity. SRH have experienced a comprehensive loss followed by a more assured win, with their batting showing better structure. LSG come in after a defeat that exposed questions around both selection and execution, particularly with a reshuffled order featuring Rishabh Pant at the top.

SRH's improvement was driven by a more cohesive batting effort. Their openers provided a stronger platform, allowing the middle order to capitalise. The bowling unit also looked more aligned. Returning home, the focus will be on sustaining that batting tempo.

LSG's concerns are more structural. The move to push Pant up disrupted their usual batting flow without yielding returns, and the middle order struggled to recover after early wickets. A total of 141 left their bowlers with little margin for error. Key decisions revolve around whether to persist with that approach or revert to a more settled order.

When: Sunday, April 5 at 3:30 PM IST
Where: Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad
What to expect: Lots of runs. Hyderabad has laid out batting-friendly pitches in recent years. A yellow alert has been issued across Telangana till April 7, with thunderstorms expected.
Head to head: LSG lead 4-2 against SRH, including a win in Hyderabad last year where they chased 190 in 16.1 overs.

Team News & Tactics

Sunrisers Hyderabad

• Injury Update: Brydon Carse has missed the first two games due to a hand injury. Pat Cummins is still set to miss this game.
• Tactical Note: Given Harshal Patel's strong record against Rishabh Pant and Aiden Markram, SRH could consider bringing him back into the XI. He has an impressive record at the venue.
• Probable XII: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (c & wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar / Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Brydon Carse / David Payne, Eshan Malinga

Lucknow Super Giants

• Injury Update: No known injury concerns.
• Tactical Note: Match-ups drove Rishabh Pant's promotion earlier to counter left-arm spin. With SRH having left-arm options, Pant could again move up to open, though he has indicated it's "a 50-50 call".
• Probable XII: Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Aiden Markram, Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, Digvesh Rathi, Mohammed Shami, Anrich Nortje, Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav

Key Stats

• Since 2024, SRH have won eight matches after posting 200-plus while batting first – the most by any team in the IPL in this period.
• Since March 2024, Abhishek Sharma has scored 635 runs in 16 T20 innings in Hyderabad at a strike rate of 227.59.
• Marsh and Markram were the second-best opening pair in IPL 2025, scoring 574 runs in 12 innings.
• As an opener in the IPL and internationals, Pant averages 18.45 from 11 innings.