RR VS LSG Preview: A battle between the Royals and Giants

Despite being a newbie in IPL, Super Giants have bounced back strongly after a hiccup upfront, which also defines why they were rated as one of the strong competitors after the auction. A complete all-around display by the team has helped them for the top spot along with Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders, with three wins each. Lucknow Super Giants will be aiming to maintain a winning streak against Rajasthan Royals in the next match tonight, who kickstarted the tournament with two massive wins. However, some tactical mistakes against RCB incurred them their first loss of the season, and they will look to improve on those factors. 

RR’s ‘Royal’ game plan against LSG

Rajasthan Royals have a great batting lineup and destructive bowling performance, which will surely be a headache for LSG. The strength of LSG’s destructive batting lineup lies in their opening pair. Once set, Quinton De Kock and Captain KL Rahul can be a severe threat to Rajasthan Royals. To break this opening pair, we might see the spin duo of Rajasthan Royals, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Ravichandran Ashwin, in action in the powerplay itself. They could also rest Yashasvi Jaiswal and roping in Jimmy Neesham as an additional bowling option.

A lot of firepower with both the teams

LSG has an entirely balanced team, with depth in the batting lineup, along with some serious young pace of Avesh Khan and mysterious googlies of Ravi Bishnoi. Jason Holder opened the bowling for Lucknow Super Giants against Sunrisers Hyderabad, which also proved to be of great efficiency for the team. We might also see Krishnappa Gowtham adding a boost to the bowling unit of Lucknow Super Giants. The biggest threat for Super Giants would be Jos Buttler’s smashing form. Currently holding the Orange Cap, Jos Buttler has smashed 205 runs in 3 matches with a century, which is definitely a worrisome reason for Lucknow’s bowling unit. Another eye-catcher in this clash would be Ayush Badoni’s knock. The newly emerged youngster has amazed everyone with his fearless hitting abilities and ice-cold mindset.

Pitch Report

The absence of grass at this venue and the red soil pitch will prove to be a boon to the pacers and spinners. With an average first inning total of 175, this dry wicket might be bossed by spinners in the middle. Wankhede definitely would be a challenge for both teams to conquer.

Probable playing XI

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (C & Wk), Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jimmy Neesham, Navdeep Saini, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal

Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul(C), Quinton de Kock(wk), Evin Lewis, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, Krishnappa Gowtham, Andrew Tye, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan

Stats to keep an eye on

• Jos Buttler has smashed 547 runs at a strike rate of 146.25 in IPL at Wankhede Stadium, his most at any venue by him.
• Lucknow Super Giants have struck ten wickets in the death overs, most by any team in this season. 
• RR have lost 8 of their 14 games at this venue with six wins, while LSG has lost their only match at Wankhede before the three consecutive wins. Most teams have preferred to chase at this venue, and with this aspect, toss is an essential factor for both the teams. 

Lucknow Super Giants will be looking to continue their winning streak, and Rajasthan Royals will be confident of bouncing back stronger after the last match defeat, hoping for a great battle between these two at Wankhede.