TACTICAL PREVIEW
Follow UsYou could roll the dice whichever way you want, but there’d still be an impeccable performer from Rajasthan Royals to put everything away. Jos Buttler was apparently out of form, but then he struck a century to blow Kolkata Knight Riders away. Yashasvi Jaiswal almost lost his T20 World Cup spot with a string of poor performances, but then, just like that, stormed back into contention with a knock that no Mumbai Indians fan would forget so easily.
The Royals have a kind of team that no longer needs to be clamored with hope but rather a tell-all punchline, ready to roll over anyone that comes their way. T20 World Cup spot guaranteed or not, Sanju Samson has proven to be a better strategist than anyone who would replace him.
On the other hand, KL Rahul, who is all set to take Samson’s place as the second-choice wicket-keeper in the T20 World Cup side – or at least, that’s what reports suggest – could only aspire for his side to have that level of consistency. However, by beating Chennai Super Kings twice in two consecutive matches, they have driven a new purpose for their quest.
LSG vs RR Head-to-Head
Overall - Games 4 | LSG 1 | RR 3
The two teams are yet to play a match against each other in Lucknow.
Venue Details
This might have been a batting-heavy IPL, but Lucknow is the third-slowest batting venue in the competition this time, having been just behind Mullanpur and Ahmedabad. The average first innings score at Ekana is 176/7, while the average first innings winning score is 181/7.
Pacers have taken the most wickets this season, accumulating close to 70% of the total wickets while the spinners have the better economy rate with 7.7. So expect bowling dominance and a welcome relief from the slog-fest this season has become.
Weather Forecast
Summer doesn’t provide any respite in Lucknow. The temperature is going to be hovering around 38 degrees Celsius, whereas the humidity factor would be above 40%. That would normally mean dew will take over late evening, making batting easier for both sides. There is no chance of precipitation too, with Accuweather suggesting it to be less than 8%, but mostly a clear sky in the evening.
Things to watch out for
Can LSG grow out of their powerplay struggle?
This year, Lucknow Super Giants have struggled massively in the first six overs, registering the third-lowest run rate in that phase while losing the third-most number of wickets in that period. While that’s not a very encouraging sign, the larger picture makes it even more worrisome for the KL Rahul-led unit.
LSG’s batting unit have lost the most wickets against left-arm pacers (17), and to make matters worse, RR have Trent Boult in their rank to inflict more carnage. In the reverse fixture, Boult ran through their top order. If the Royals decide to bring in Nandre Burger for Rovman Powell, it might get even worse for the home side.
Buttler’s contrasting returns in phases
When Rajasthan Royals have batted first, Jos Buttler has managed just 30 runs at an average of 10, but if you change that filter to run chase, he turns out to be a beast of a performer that we generally associate him with. As a matter of fact, in run chases this season, the England limited-overs skipper averages 127.45, accumulating a total of 255 runs in four innings.
His record against spin and pace has been quite different this season. While he has been absolutely a treat to watch against pacers, scoring 210 runs in seven innings, against spin he has only been able to muster just 75 runs in five innings, being dismissed thrice already. That can provide a very interesting game plan for Rahul to tame the threat of the English batter.
Probable XIs
LSG Assistant coach Sridharan Sriram hinted that Mayank Yadav may return from his injury lay-off, so they might use him as an impact player for the side.
LSG: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal / Arshin Kulkarni, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Matt Henry, Yash Thakur, Mayank Yadav (IP)
To exploit LSG’s struggle against left-arm pacers, Rajasthan Royals, in all possibility, may bring in Nandre Burger ahead of Rovman Powell.
RR: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Nandre Burger, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jos Buttler (IP)
Telecast and Streaming Details
The match will be live on Star Sports Network and live-streamed on Jio Cinema. The game will start at 3:30 PM, with the toss happening at 3 PM.
