SRH vs LSG Live Score, IPL 2026: Lucknow Super Giants will need a major improvement in the bat as they look for their first win of the season against a confident Sunrisers Hyderabad side in a tough away match on Sunday.
SRH head into their first home match brimming with confidence after rediscovering their attacking mettle, as they piled on 226/8 to thrash Kolkata Knight Riders by 65 runs at Eden Gardens. The return to the Opals, where conditions are expected to favor stroke play in the afternoon match, adds to the challenge facing LSG.
With momentum and home advantage on their side, SRH will start as favourites, leaving LSG with a lot to overcome. Despite reaching the playoffs in their first two seasons, the Sanjeev Goenka-owned side have struggled in recent years, finishing in seventh place twice, and their current campaign has also started disappointingly.
The issue is not a lack of resources. Under the captaincy of Justin Langer, LSG boasts a strong batting unit that includes Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, captain Rishabh Pant and Nicholas Pooran. However, their collapse for 141 in less than 19 overs against Delhi Capitals in the opener exposed glaring weaknesses.
Tactical changes didn’t help either, as LSG moved away from the opening pair of Marsh-Markram, pushing Pant up the pecking order. The move backfired, with Pant scoring just seven goals before being run out, once again raising questions about his ideal position. A return to third place could be considered – a period in which he achieved success in 2025, including a century. Pooran has also thrived in this role but may need to handle the middle duties instead.
Marsh was the only bright spot, making 35 before retreating to a slower delivery, underscoring LSG’s recurring problem of not converting starts into big scores. To restore balance, they may look to restore the Marsh-Markram opening combination and move Pant back to the middle order.
But the bowling was very positive. Mohammed Shami impressed with his new-ball spell alongside young pacer Prince Yadav, reducing Delhi to 26/4 on the power play. But LSG were unable to sustain that pressure in the middle and the decision to drop enigmatic spinner Digvesh Rathi, last season’s leading wicket-taker, raised eyebrows. On a flat Opals pitch, their package without a wrist-spinner up front could come under scrutiny once again.
Meanwhile, SRH seem to have found their rhythm after losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening match of the season. Their batting clicked as a unit against KKR, with Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma back at the top.
Stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan has shown signs of promise, while the experience of Heinrich Klaassen continues to anchor the middle order, as seen in his brilliant half-century in Kolkata.
SRH’s batting depth remains a major concern for LSG. All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy impressed with both bat and ball, while Harsh Dubey provided control through spin. The pace duo of Jaydev Unadkat and Ehsan Malinga shared five wickets between them as KKR were bowled out for 161 in 16 overs, showing that SRH’s bowling unit is far from fragile.
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Sunrisers Hyderabad: Ishan Kishan (c), Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aniket Verma, R. Samaran, Heinrich Klassen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis, Harshal Patel, Brydon Karse, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Malinga, Zeeshan Ansari, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Salil Arora, Shivang. Kumar, Omkar Tarmal, Cranes Volitra, Praful Heng, Amit Kumar, Saqib Hussain, Jack Edwards and Pat Cummins.
Lucknow Super Giants: Rishabh Pant (c), Aayush Badoni, Matthew Bretzke, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Arshain Kulkarni, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Maharaj Singh, Avish Khan, Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Arjun Sachin Tendulkar, Mayank Prabhu Yadav, Wanendu Hasaranga, Anrich Nortje, Josh Inglis, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, Naman Tiwari, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Mohsin Khan, Manimaran Siddharth, Mukul Chaudhary.