Lucknow Super Giants will clash with the Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The Royals will return to their original home ground in Jaipur after playing a few matches in Guhati.
Both teams have the most stable lineups. Right from openers, and finishers to wicket-taking bowlers, they have covered all the bases and are looking like favorites for the tournament. They will be fighting for the number one spot in the points table.
The Royals are leading the points table after winning four of their first five games in the competition. They defeated the Gujarat Titans in their prior game, which they are entering now.
Devdutt Padikkal has also offered cameos, but Riyan Parag hasn’t been able to take advantage of the chances.
The trio of Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa, and Ravichandran Ashwin at RR makes life difficult for the opposition. RR also boasts some quality spinners. While speed ace Trent Boult did the trick against Delhi Capital by capturing those two wickets in the first over to stall their chase, it was the spinners who had won them the match against Chennai Super Kings.
Super Giants are in second place in the standings after winning three of their last five games. On the other hand, Lucknow lost a close game against the Punjab Kings. Rahul made some captaincy blunders in the last match which cost them the game eventually.
Lucknow fell 10-15 runs short of the Punjab Kings in their most recent match because they were unable to score enough runs in the middle overs.
While KL Rahul‘s scorching 56-ball 74, which marked his return to form, is a huge plus, LSG will be disappointed with the scoring chances they missed in the middle overs.
Kyle Mayers at the top, Nicholas Pooran, and Marcus Stoinis in the middle, who can destroy any opposition, are all powerful batsmen for Lucknow.
Bishnoi is a cunning customer with a potent googly, and captain Rahul should consider utilizing him there instead of saving him for the death overs.
LSG’s fast bowlers have the same ferocious pace as Mark Wood and Avesh Khan. After a brilliant two-wicket haul on his debut against Punjab, Yudhvir Singh Charak will also try to continue his form from the previous match.
It would be difficult for Lucknow to upset the Royals, who have played like a well-oiled machine with a hat-trick of victories to take the top spot in the IPL standings, though.
Players to watch out for
Rajasthan Royals
Shimron Hetmyer
With 183 runs in five games, Shimron Hetmyer is on fire in this IPL. He is striking at 184.85 this season and has only been out once. The knock from the last game will give an immense boost to his confidence.
Yashaswi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal has scored 136 runs in five IPL games this season, however, his performance has been inconsistent. He has a respectable IPL career record, striking at 137.42.
Lucknow Super Giants
Nicholas Pooran
With 141 runs in five games, Nicholas Pooran has lived up to his hype in this IPL. Moreover, he has a fifty to his credit this season and strikes out at 216.92.
KL Rahul
Last week, KL Rahul showed signs of improvement against the Punjab Kings, scoring fifty runs despite the team’s defeat. He has one of the greatest averages among IPL batters, above 40.
Predicted XIs
Rajasthan Royals
Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal <> Devdutt Padikkal
Lucknow Super Giants
KL Rahul (c), Kyle Mayers <> Krishnappa Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Ayush Badoni, Avesh Khan, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Mark Wood, Ravi Bishnoi
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