Pat Cummins to Mitchell Marsh, A lovely comeback delivery! Just full of a good length and in the channel, nibbling away a touch, Marsh hangs back and pokes at it, but the ball zips past the outside edge.
Pat Cummins to Mitchell Marsh, SIX! A classic Mitchell Marsh pull! Fractionally short and around off, Marsh is waiting for it on the back foot and nails it well in front of square on the leg side for a biggie. The first one of the match.
Pat Cummins to Mitchell Marsh, Hits the deck hard again, but gets the line tight around off, Marsh has no room to work with and blocks it down to mid off.
Pat Cummins to Mitchell Marsh, Hard-length delivery, outside off and gently swinging away, Marsh opts to leave it alone.
Pat Cummins to Mitchell Marsh, FOUR! Off the mark in flying fashion! On the shorter side to begin with, wide as well. Mitchell Marsh rocks onto that back foot and slams it away up and over the point region for a boundary.
In all readiness for the action to get underway here in Lucknow! The official IPL pet, CHAMPAK, leads the way as the two umpires walk out. Pat Cummins leads his troops to the middle as the Sunrisers spread out and take their fielding positions. It will be the opening pair of Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram for the Super Giants. Cummins himself has taken the new ball and is raring to go. An Aussie versus Aussie affair first up as 'The Bison' is ready to face the first ball. Off we go...
LSG's Nicholas Pooran is up for a quick chat with the broadcasters. He begins by saying that the break came at the right time for them, as he admits they lost the momentum in the middle stages of the tournament. Adds that it has given them the opportunity to reflect on their season, personally and from the team's point of view. Thinks that it is just about one game going your way and he hopes that this might be the one for them. Adds that they cannot control some things. On his personal performances, he accepts and says he has been disappointed in the last few games and says he has set some high standards for himself and expects to score runs in every game. Further reflects that they haven't been good in Lucknow over the last couple of games. Mentions about staying in the game for as long as possible and doing the simple things to the best of their abilities. Stresses that they need to bowl and bat in partnerships. Adds if the batters are set, they need to go as deep as possible and not leave it for anyone else. He is hopeful to tick those small boxes and give themselves the chance to win and move ahead in the competition.
The captain of Lucknow Super Giants, Rishabh Pant, says that they don't mind anything to do as the wicket looks good whether you bat first or bowl first. Says that they are looking to take one match at a time and not put undue pressure on themselves and give their 100%. Mentions that the team has regrouped really well and they are in a good space as a team. Informs that Will O'Rourke is making his IPL debut.
The captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pat Cummins, says you never know how the wicket will play and hence, bowling first is a good option. On being asked about what these three games mean to them as a team, Cummins first admits that they haven't played to their potential and also informs about a few injuries in the camp as well, which have provided a chance for the new guys. States that they have some unfinished business. Adds that the team has been great and accepts that they haven't been at their best. On team combination, he informs that Travis Head is in the hotel room and Jaydev Unadkat is on personal leave. Concludes by saying that Atharva Taide and Harsh Dubey come in the side.
Impact player options for SRH - Mohammad Shami, Atharva Taide, Sachin Baby, Abhinav Manohar, Simarjeet Singh.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI) - Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Kamindu Mendis, Pat Cummins (C), Harshal Patel, Harsh Dubey (On IPL debut), Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga.
Impact player options for LSG - Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahamad, M Siddharth, Shardul Thakur, David Miller.
Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI) - Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (C/WK), Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Digvesh Singh, Will O'Rourke (On IPL debut).
TOSS - SRH skipper, Pat Cummins calls the coin flip correctly and opts to BOWL first.