3 player battles to watch out for in SRH vs LSG, Match 58 of IPL 2023
IPL 2023 returns to Hyderabad today for a match between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Lucknow Super Giants. It is the second match between the two teams this season. Earlier this season, LSG defeated SRH by five wickets at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium.
Today's match will take place at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. The pitch at this venue is better for batting than the one in Lucknow, which is why fans should expect both teams to score big. Also, this is an afternoon match. Hence, the team winning the toss may prefer to bat first.
This match is quite important for both teams in the race to the IPL 2023 playoffs. The Sunrisers Hyderabad can keep themselves alive in the tournament with a win against the Lucknow Super Giants. Meanwhile, LSG can inch a step closer to the Top 4 if they complete the double over SRH in IPL 2023.
Here are three player battles that could decide the fate of today's IPL 2023 match in Hyderabad.
#1 T Natarajan vs Ayush Badoni
T Natarajan has bowled brilliantly in the death for the Sunrisers Hyderabad this season. He played a vital role in his team's win over the Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Natarajan will hold the key to SRH's success once again. On the other side, the Lucknow Super Giants will hope that their rising star Ayush Badoni continues his good form for the franchise.
Badoni hit a brilliant half-century against the Chennai Super Kings a few days ago in Lucknow. It will be exciting to see who comes out on top in the battle between LSG's finisher and SRH's death-bowling specialist.
#2 Krunal Pandya vs Aiden Markram
Krunal Pandya and Aiden Markram will lead the Lucknow Super Giants and the Sunrisers Hyderabad in today's IPL 2023 match. All eyes will be on the battle between Pandya, the bowler, and Markram, the batter.
The last time these two players crossed paths in an IPL match was earlier this season in Lucknow. Pandya rattled Markram's stumps on the first ball that he faced in IPL 2023. The LSG skipper will be keen to dismiss his SRH counterpart cheaply again today.
#3 Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs Kyle Mayers
Kyle Mayers has been in fantastic touch this year for the Lucknow Super Giants. The left-handed batter has aggregated 359 runs in 11 matches for the Lucknow-based franchise. He will have the onus of helping his team score another big total today.
Meanwhile, the Sunrisers Hyderabad will hope that their new-ball bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismisses Mayers cheaply. Kumar has troubled the batters with his swing in the powerplay overs. It will be interesting to see if he can dismiss Mayers early today.