Can LSG maintain their perfect record against Mumbai?
The Lucknow Super Giants are the least well-known and glamorized of the four clubs who advanced to the playoffs. Even Gujarat Titans receive significantly more attention than them, despite the fact that they obviously lack the lengthy histories of Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. Marcus Stoinis, the leading run-scorer for LSG this season, is ranked 19th on the run rankings, and Ravi Bishnoi, their top bowler, is ranked 11th on the list of top wicket-takers. They lack a top-tier fast bowler with experience, a magician of a wristspinner, or a potential Indian superstar.
It says a lot about Krunal Pandya’s leadership that LSG made it to the playoffs without their regular skipper and top batter KL Rahul. They finished three of their last four games while he was in charge, and those victories came toward the conclusion of the league, allowing them to easily qualify.
One accomplishment against one of the IPL’s most successful teams is the only thing they share with the Titans. LSG has a 3-0 record versus Mumbai, their opponents in the Eliminator, just like Titans did against CSK before Qualifier 1. This season, they only met once during league play, and LSG triumphed at home by a score of 5 runs.
In recent games, LSG has won by setting and pursuing goals, although they have relied heavily on their foreign hitters, including Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Kyle Mayers, and Quinton de Kock, for the majority of their runs. In contrast to the ten fifty-pluses from foreign batters, their other Indian batters, besides Rahul, have only achieved two half-centuries all season.
Their powerplay bowling is another area where they would like to make improvements. In that phase, they’ve taken the fewest wickets, while during the league stage, they’ve allowed the most wicketless powerplays. With the new ball, they have utilized a variety of bowlers, and early wickets will be essential against Mumbai’s deep and potent batting order.
Due to injuries to important players, Mumbai’s path to the playoffs was much more difficult, but they have once again benefited from discovering Indian talent: Akash Madhwal is quickly becoming their go-to death bowler, and Nehal Wadhera has impressed with his hitting prowess. They defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad on the penultimate day of the league to advance to the playoffs in fourth place, and the Titans subsequently did them a favor by eliminating RCB.
This year, LSG are the best total defenders while Mumbai are the greatest chasers. When selecting what to do if they win the toss, both will need to take into account the probability of a slow pitch and whether or not dew will be a factor. On Wednesday, there are no do-overs in Chennai: the victor advances to the final, the loser is eliminated.
