Teams shouldn’t take their standing on the points table too seriously at this early stage of the IPL 2024. Even though Lucknow Super Giants have only played one game, losing to Rajasthan Royals by a close margin, they are now in the bottom spot. Punjab Kings, on the other hand, began the competition with a victory over Delhi Capitals that gave them a lift in confidence. However, they then let defeat sneak up on them against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The main topic of conversation during the LSG preseason was KL Rahul’s batting position, but the captain washed out at his preferred opening place. His innings also had a pace that was quite comparable to what we’ve seen from the Karnataka batsman, but as the game went on, he did appear to be in good form. It remains to be seen if he should stay at the top of the order or drop down and allow a more adventurous batter to bat first.
Nicholas Pooran, Marcus Stoinis, and Quinton de Kock are just a few of the powerful players who make up LSG, although the first two are still underutilized. They should take care of this issue as quickly as possible. With the exception of Shikhar Dhawan’s team losing a crucial match due to death bowling against RCB, Punjab’s two matches have mostly gone as planned. In contrast to past seasons, PBKS boasts a far more formidable bowling unit that covers the majority of bases.
However, since he is their chosen death bowler, Harshal Patel’s inconsistent form will be a worry. Punjab still has a lot of high-intent powerhitters in their lineup, so hitting is their strong suit.
When: March 30 @ 19:30 IST on Saturday
Where: Cricket Stadium Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana, Lucknow
What to expect: With an average first innings score of 148, Lucknow was the most bowler-friendly venue in the 2023 season. Pacers and spinners worked well together, but hitters often found it difficult to score runs quickly. Although the surfaces were recently resurfaced, batters are unlikely to be able to freely stroke the field.
Head-to-head: After three meetings between the two clubs, LSG holds a slim 2-1 advantage against PBKS.
Group observation:
Super Giants of Lucknow
Injury/Availability: The LSG camp will be able to select from their whole roster for this match as they have no concerns about injuries.
Strategies and Matchups: Devdutt Padikkal could make his LSG debut in this game. He has defeated Sam Curran (32 runs in 20 balls, 0 dismissals) and Kagiso Rabada (48 runs in 29 balls). Arshdeep Singh has dismissed him three times, but he has also had success against the left-armer, hitting 49 off 31 balls faced.
KL Rahul (c&wk), Marcus Stoinis/Kyle Mayers, Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur, and Naveen-ul-Haq are the likely members of the starting XI. [Deepak Hooda is the Impact replacement]
Kings of Punjab
Injury/Availability: Regarding the team’s availability for this match, PBKS is similarly unconcerned.
Strategies and Pairings:
KL Rahul has a history of starting slowly against PBKS’ PowerPlay bowlers, despite Padikkal’s demonstration that he can match them. He has made just 29 off 24 balls against Sam Curran and just 17 off 18 balls against Arshdeep.
Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), and Shikhar Dhawan (c) are the probable members of the playing eleven. [Arshdeep Singh, Impact Substitution]
What they expressed
“The match went till the last over, at the end also we could have bowled a bit better.” Shikhar Dhawan is aware of the areas where Punjab has struggled thus far.
“We’ll grow from our errors. We must figure out how to prevail in cricket matches.” – KL Rahul is optimistic that his team can overcome the setback in the first game.
