Lucknow Super Giants v Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL Tips: Lucknow top order to overpower Sunrisers

• Lucknow racking up the sixes

• Sunrisers should improve with SA contingent

• Back Mark Wood to repeat man of the match heroics at 14/1

Lucknow Super Giants v Sunrisers Hyderabad
Friday, 15:00 BST
Live on Sky Sports Cricket

Despite only winning one of their two matches to date, Lucknow made a positive impression which has not been lost on Betfair's outright market. I tipped them for the title at 11.5 in the Cricket Only Bettor preview ten days ago. They're now just 7.2.

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Too early to dismiss Sunrisers

Sunrisers, meanwhile, almost doubled in odds to 20.0 after being thrashed in their opener. This feels like an over-reaction. Their new-look squad faced a baptism of fire against Rajasthan and were put to the sword by their formidable top-order. A highly unlikely chase never got off the ground. One match does not necessarily reflect their squad's ability.

Lucknow stronger with De Kock's arrival

Nonetheless, this does look a daunting task. LSG hit 398 runs in their two innings and are now even stronger. Quinton de Kock's return presents a selection dilemma, as it would be incredibly harsh to drop substitute opener Kyle Mayers after top-scoring twice. Marcus Stoinis looks likelier to give way.

Sunrisers are strengthened considerably with the arrival South African trio Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen. As captain, Markram is sure to play and Jansen would shorten a long tail. Glenn Phillips and Fazalhaq Farooqi could give way.

Pacemen could make batting tricky

Saturday's match was the first at this Lucknow ground and didn't offer any decisive clues. Early in the LSG innings 150 was trading as the par score before Mayers exploded, propelling them to 193 and a fifty-run victory. Pacemen for both sides got plenty out of the pitch early on, most notably Mark Wood. My guess about par is 165.

Given their respective early performances, it is no surprise to see Lucknow rated 1.77 favourites, but more appealing is 8/5 on the Sportsbook about them winning the match and hitting most sixes. Whilst not totally convinced by their bowling unit, I'm very confident this LSG top order will be a run factory.

Power is Lucknow's forte. They've hit 24 sixes in two matches and now add QDK (23 sixes last season). Sunrisers hit five in their first match and were second best last season by 115-96.

Another way LSG could make further improvement is moving expensive signing Nicholas Pooran up to four, where a Krunal Pandya experiment isn't working. That may have cost them the chase against Chennai. If they conclude the same, 10/1 about Pooran to top-score would be clear value.

After eight wickets in two games, it is easy to make a case for Mark Wood to be Top LSG Bowler at 11/4. Even more so 14/1 to win his second man of the match award at this ground.

I'm sceptical that Fazalhaq Farooqi will get in given their home-grown death bowling alternatives, but if he gets one of the overseas picks, back the Afghan for Top Sunrisers Bowler. A bet at odds of 10/3 in his last ten T20 matches would have yielded 88% profit.

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