IPL 2023, RR vs LSG: Inconsistent Lucknow Super Giants in real test against Rajasthan Royals

Blowing hot and cold, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will look to tick all the boxes and return to winning ways when it clashes with table-topper former champion Rajasthan Royals (RR) in a 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Wednesday. With three wins and two losses so far, LSG is a team overflowing with talent, but it has missed a trick or two at times to find itself on the losing side twice.

In the last match against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), Lucknow couldn't get enough runs in the middle overs, leaving it 10-15 runs short. While KL Rahul returning to form with a sizzling 56-ball 74 is a big positive, LSG will rue the scoring opportunities it squandered in the middle overs.

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Lucknow has plenty of power in their batting, with Kyle Mayers at the top and Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis in the middle capable of pulverising any opposition. While Mayers did his job in the powerplay, he must consider building partnerships after the first six overs, especially with Deepak Hooda struggling to get runs at the top.

Against PBKS, LSG also committed the mistake of bringing in the talented Ravi Bishnoi too late, allowing the batters to take the chase deep into the final over. Bishnoi is a wily customer with a mean googly, and skipper Rahul may also think of using him in the middle instead of holding him back for the death overs.

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Krishnappa Gowtham and Krunal Pandya, too, have done well in their respective roles. Among the fast bowlers, LSG possesses the fiery pace of Mark Wood and Avesh Khan. Yudhvir Singh Charak, too, will look to carry on his promising run after a sensational two-wicket haul on his debut against Punjab.

However, for Lucknow, it will be an uphill task to disturb the applecart of the Royals, who have performed like a well-oiled machine with a hat-trick of wins to grab the top spot in the IPL standings. RR possess a formidable batting line-up with the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson, ensuring that the side has a good start and has enough runs in the PowerPlay (PP).

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While Buttler, with 204 runs, has been their highest run-scorer, Jaiswal has struck at 149.45 during his 136 runs so far in the IPL. And, when the duo failed the other day against GT, skipper Samson rose to the occasion, bailing out the team with a 32-ball 60 as West Indian Shimron Hetmyer completed the job with a 26-ball 56.

Devdutt Padikkal, too, has come up with cameos, but Riyan Parag has yet to be able to grab the opportunities. RR also has some quality spinners, with the trio of Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa and Ravichandran Ashwin making life difficult for the opposition. The spinners had won the team the match against former four-time champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK), while pace spearhead Trent Boult did the job against Delhi Capitals (DC) by taking those two wickets in the first over to derail their chase. Medium pacer Sandeep Sharma has used all his experience, taking wickets regularly during his spells.

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Squads:
LSG: KL Rahul (c and wk), Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Amit Mishra, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Naveen ul Haq, Ayush Badoni, Avesh Khan, Karan Sharma, Yudhvir Charak, Yash Thakur, Romario Shepherd, Mark Wood, Swapnil Singh, Manan Vohra, Daniel Sams, Prerak Mankad, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jaydev Unadkat, Marcus Stoinis, Ravi Bishnoi and Mayank Yadav.
RR: Sanju Samson (c), Abdul Basith, Murugan Ashwin, Ravichandran Ashwin, KM Asif, Trent Boult, Jos Buttler, KC Cariappa, Yuzvendra Chahal, Donovan Ferreira, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Obed McCoy, Devdutt Padikkal, Riyan Parag, Kunal Singh Rathore, Joe Root, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Kuldeep Sen, Akash Vasisht, Kuldip Yadav and Adam Zampa.

Match details
Date and day: April 19, 2023 (Wednesday)
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Time: 7.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and other Star Sports regional language channels - Also available in HD
Where to watch (Online): JioCinema