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Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant won the toss and elected to bowl first against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday afternoon.

It is a decision that goes against the conventional wisdom at this ground, commentator Michael Clarke had suggested in his pitch report that batting first was the right call today, something that has not happened once this season so far.

The skies are slightly overcast but it is otherwise a bright afternoon in Hyderabad, and with pitch number two in use, the same surface on which SRH smashed 286 against Rajasthan Royals last season in a game that produced 528 total runs, this has all the makings of another high-scoring afternoon.

Liam Livingstone makes his SRH debut vs LSG

The headline team news from the SRH camp is the debut of Liam Livingstone, who comes into the playing XI alongside the return of Harshal Patel. Ishan Kishan confirmed two changes from their last game, explaining that Livingstone gives them an off-spin option while Harshal has historically performed well at this venue.

It is a selection that adds genuine all-round depth to the SRH lineup and gives Kishan more flexibility in the middle overs both with the ball and the bat. Livingstone has been one of the most destructive T20 batters in the world when he gets going and his debut for SRH at a ground this batter-friendly is a compelling subplot to the afternoon.

SRH vs LSG: What Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant said at the toss

Ishan Kishan, leading SRH in the continued absence of Pat Cummins, was upbeat and focused at the toss. He acknowledged the importance of getting two points but stressed that calm and composed execution of plans would be the key rather than thinking about the broader picture. He also pointed to decision-making as the most critical factor in today's game.

"There are just two changes. Livingstone comes in and Harshal Patel comes in. Harshal Patel, he's done well whenever he's bowled here. And Livi, giving him an opportunity to use his off-spin as well against the left-handers. In T20 especially, execution is the most important thing. You need to be in a good headspace, calm and try to save as many runs as we can. So just plan well and execute your balls. And I think let's see how it goes from there." Kishan said.

Rishabh Pant on the other hand justified his decision to bowl by pointing to the pitch conditions, suggesting there might be something in the surface for bowlers after the first six overs even if it looks good to bat on right now.

He acknowledged SRH as a team capable of hurting any opposition and made just one change Manimaran Siddharth comes in for the injured Anrich Nortje, which is a significant blow to LSG's pace attack given how dangerous Nortje is on surfaces with true bounce.

"We are looking to bowl first. The wicket is good, but at the same time, you know, their main strength is batting. We keep on coming here every year, that's not a new challenge. But at the same time, this is one team which can hurt you well. The ball will get older and it's going to be harder to score. Just one change, Sid (Manimaran Siddharth) comes in for Nortje. (Will you open today?) We'll see, we'll see." Pant said.

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SRH vs LSG: Playing XIs

SRH: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk/c), Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat.

LSG: Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (wk/c), Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, Manimaran Siddharth, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Prince Yadav.

SRH vs LSG: Impact Players

Impact Subs for SRH: Eshan, Salil, Payne, Mavi and Zeeshan.

Impact Subs for LSG: Badoni, Breetzke, Shahbaz, Nortje and Himmat.

SRH vs LSG: Where both teams stand

SRH come into this game in reasonable shape, two games played, one win and one loss, sitting fifth in the table with an NRR of plus 0.469.

They became the first team this season to successfully defend a total, posting 226 for 8 against KKR at Eden Gardens before bowling them out for 161. Klaasen has been in frightening touch with a strike rate near 200 and Head and Abhishek Sharma continue to make powerplays look like a formality.

LSG on the other hand are yet to open their account after a heavy loss to Delhi Capitals in their opener, sitting eighth with zero points and an NRR of minus 1.397. Pant's side have plenty of talent ,Shami, Pooran and Markram are match-winners on any given day, but they desperately need a performance today to avoid falling further behind in the early standings.