Match 61 of the 2025 Indian Premier League season brings us a clash between the Lucknow Super Giants and the SunRisers Hyderabad at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on May 19.
For the game, here are our preview and predictions.
Indian Premier League 2025 | Match 61: Lucknow Super Giants vs SunRisers Hyderabad | 19:30 IST, May 19
Here are two teams with their playoff hopes dashed who will be looking to finish their campaign on a high.
Pat Cummins’ SunRisers, who finished as runners-up last season, have been one of the most disappointing teams this season. An explosive side led by a World Cup–winning captain, SRH boast many superstar players, most of whom have failed to deliver this time around after a strong start. They racked up an incredible 286/6 in the opening game as new signing Ishan Kishan kicked off his journey with the Orange Army with a century, but both Kishan and the SunRisers have gone downhill since.
The SunRisers have won just two games since the opener, with their star-studded batting lineup—featuring Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, and Nitish Kumar Reddy—having failed to make a meaningful impact. Of the four times they’ve bowled first this season, SRH have conceded 200+ totals thrice, with key bowlers Cummins, Mohammed Shami, and Harshal Patel struggling to produce anything special.
It’s been a collective failure from the Hyderabad outfit, and Cummins will be hoping they can round out a nightmare season with something to cheer for.
The hosts, on the other hand, haven’t had a great season either. The most expensive player in IPL history, Rishabh Pant, has had a horror start with his new side, having struggled with the bat and failed to deliver as captain as well.
Most of LSG’s runs have come from the top of the order. Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, and Nicholas Pooran have done most of the scoring, while young Ayush Badoni has been impactful as well. Having had a season to forget, Pant will want to end the season with some runs under his belt.
In the bowling department, rookie leg-spinner Digvesh Rathi has been the team’s breakout star this season, with Shardul Thakur having also been among the wickets. However, both have often been let down by the rest of the bowling unit.
The spinners and slower bowlers have been moderately successful at the Lucknow strip, which has—like most grounds in India—produced plenty of runs. Given the bowling performances of the two teams this year, we should be in for a high-scoring game. We give the SunRisers the edge given their stronger bowling unit and the experience within their camp.
Fantasy XI: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Pat Cummins, Digvesh Rathi, Avesh Khan
Venue: Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
Winners Prediction: SunRisers Hyderabad
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