IPL 2022, SRH vs LSG Highlights: Rahul, Hooda, Avesh shine as Lucknow beat Hyderabad to record second straight win

Lucknow have got one of the most stable lineups on paper. But Hyderabad have to iron out a few chinks in their batting attack. Nicholas Pooran registered his sixth IPL duck in the last game as Hyderabad slumped to 9/3 within the powerplay.

Andrew Tye (2/41) managed to pick two wickets in his final over against Chennai but will likely sit out tonight if Holder is Lucknow's fourth overseas player. Holder can also replace Chameera in the eleven. 

Tye was signed as a replacement for the injured England pacer Mark Wood.

As Ravi Bishnoi looks to produce his spin magic, Dushmantha Chameera and Avesh Khan herd the pace unit of Lucknow. Chameera is capable of consistently hitting speeds of over 140 kph while Avesh has got clever variations and change in pace.

Lucknow also have a lot of experience in Deepak Hooda, who struck a fine fifty against the Gujarat Titans. The team has an array of all-rounders in Hooda, Krunal Pandya and Jason Holder.

KL Rahul also bracketed Ayush Badoni as a 360-player and called him a great find for India and an asset for white-ball cricket.

"Badoni, I'd seen a few videos, when you only get to see the good shots, but the way he's been batting is phenomenal."

"Bishnoi has a big heart, he's a fighter for a little guy, shows the character he has to bounce back with a wet ball. Really happy for him, he wants to grow, wants to learn, and good to see that," said Rahul after win over Chennai.

Bishnoi remains Lucknow's trump card. The young leggie was their best bowler against Chennai as he gave away only 24 runs for two wickets in four overs. He is also a crucial player for the Indian team in lead-up to this year's T20 World Cup.

KL Rahul may currently be a part of the opening mix but legendary Sunil Gavaskar sees the talented batter playing the role of a finisher as well.

"Rahul is such an integral part of any team. He opens the batting and gets to bat 20 overs and sets the pace for his team. I believe he has the ability to be the finisher as well," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

Hyderabad have notched up just three wins in their last 15 IPL games -- a record that doesn't make them favourites to be a part of the top-four bracket. But it's too early to predict as Williamson's men look to stage a turnaround.

Lucknow needed 34 from the last 12 balls when the Lewis-Badoni duo smashed Shivam Dube for 25 runs in the penultimate over to change the equation drastically. The dew has played a significant role so far in the tournament, and it will be interesting to see how bowlers tackle the situation tonight. 

The ongoing edition could also be a breakthrough season for young Ayush Badoni. A confident batter who can chip in with some overs as well, Badoni struck a 41-ball 54 in his IPL debut against Titans and followed it up with yet another entertaining nine-ball 19 versus Chennai Super Kings.

Lucknow will also be happy with Evin Lewis' batting show against Chennai. The West Indian struck 55 off 23 balls to take his team home.

Lewis, named player of the match, said the key was not to overcomplicate things. "On the big stage I try to keep it simple and do the best for my team and myself," he said.

While Manish Pandey's form remains a concern, Lucknow will rely on the lethal opening pair of skipper KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock. The duo had forged a 99-run first-wicket stand against Chennai Super Kings.

Marcus Stoinis is still available but Lucknow Super Giants will be bolstered with the return of Jason Holder. The West Indian is set to play against his previous IPL franchise. 

Hyderabad will be under some pressure but Lucknow head into the game with a lot of confidence. Rahul's men lost their first-ever IPL game against fellow entrants Gujarat Titans. But they roared back in style by beating defending champions Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in a high-scoring affair.

KL Rahul(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Manish Pandey, Evin Lewis, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Dushmantha Chameera, Andrew Tye, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ankit Rajpoot, Mohsin Khan, Karan Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Kyle Mayers, Manan Vohra

Kane Williamson(c), Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran(w), Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad, Romario Shepherd, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik, Shreyas Gopal, Jagadeesha Suchith, Glenn Phillips, Shashank Singh, Ravikumar Samarth, Vishnu Vinod, Priyam Garg, Kartik Tyagi, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Marco Jansen, Saurabh Dubey

Sundar hit a blazing 14-ball 40, albeit in a losing cause, and he could be elevated to the top alongside Williamson. If Hyderabad play a spinner, Abhishek Sharma might have to sit out today. Notably, tweakers have found more success at the venue.

A bright spot for Hyderabad in the last game was Bhuvneshwar's excellent show. He produced an economical spell to register figures of 1/29. South Africa's Aiden Markram also scored a fifty in an otherwise lacklustre batting effort from the 2016 champions. 

SRH head coach Tom Moody also admitted that four no-balls in the first five overs cost them the game.

"I think four no-balls in the first five overs, a no-ball wicket and a dropped catch [off a no-ball] in the first five overs, and a total of six wides cost us this game."

Rajasthan outplayed Hyderabad in all three departments at the MCA Stadium, Pune, and Williamson's men will look to put up a much-improved show against Lucknow. Also, SRH bowlers bowled as many as four no-balls in the first five overs against Rajasthan.

"It was a surprise in a lot of ways and we certainly don't want to do that moving forward. When you take a wicket off a no-ball, it's never nice. It's important for us to look at areas where we can improve," said Williamson on the no-ball fiasco.

Post Rashid's exit, Hyderabad have snapped up Shreyas Gopal and Jagadeesha Suchith for ₹75 lakh and ₹20 lakh respectively. They can introduce a spinner today as they play their first game of the season in Mumbai. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad have plenty of bowling experience in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was excellent against Rajasthan. Umran Malik will be bowling his thunderbolts while birthday boy Natarajan looks to leave his mark after returning from a long injury lay-off.

Williamson will be eager to help his side gain some early momentum but the skipper will need some support from the other end. It remains to see whether Hyderabad continue with Abhishek Sharma at the top.

They can also go with Washington Sundar, who was a specialist top-order batsman during his India U-19 days. With his 6'1" frame, the former RCB star can chip in with some lusty blows in the powerplay.