Black or red – what will LSG serve up for Royals?

Match particulars

Lucknow Super Giants (Fourth – P8, W5, L3) vs Rajasthan Royals (First – P8, W7, L1)
Lucknow, 7.30pm (2pm GMT)

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Form is a fickle factor in T20, but when there’s such a factor, LSG and RR are the 2 type groups of IPL 2024, the one two with two or extra wins in a row main up to their assembly in Lucknow.* Both groups sit within the prime 4 in the mean time, and RR, who have already got 14 factors, may have one foot within the playoffs in the event that they win on Saturday night time.

This is a contest between broadly related groups: each have robust prime orders and infrequently get right into a muddle with center-order roles, and each have glorious assaults with loads of selection. It’s exhausting to choose a favorite. LSG have received three of their 4 dwelling video games to this point this season, however RR are completely geared up to compete on no matter floor Ekana throws up, whether or not it is gradual and low black soil or true, bouncy red.

Both groups are trying ominous for those who go by the metric of key gamers discovering type halfway by way of the season. Yashasvi Jaiswal did so with a match-successful century in RR’s most up-to-date sport, in opposition to Mumbai Indians on April 22, and Marcus Stoinis matched him in LSG’s most up-to-date sport, in opposition to Chennai Super Kings on April 23.

Everything factors to a good and tactically fascinating contest, and for those who want the rest to whet your urge for food, there’s the prospect of Mayank Yadav returning to motion.

*As of earlier than KKR vs PBKS on April 26

Form information

Lucknow Super Giants WWLLW (final 5 matches, most up-to-date first)
Rajasthan Royals WWWLW

Team information and influence participant technique

Lucknow Super Giants

Likely XII 1 Quinton de Kock, 2 KL Rahul (capt & wk), 3 Marcus Stoinis, 4 Devdutt Padikkal, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Ayush Badoni, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Mohsin Khan, 12 Mayank Yadav/Yash Thakur.

Rajasthan Royals
Sandeep Sharma returned from damage and took match-turning figures of 5 for 18 in RR’s final match, in opposition to Mumbai Indians. He is prone to hold his place and share the brand new ball with Trent Boult. If a black-soil pitch is rolled out in Lucknow, there’s a likelihood Royals may herald Keshav Maharaj as their third spinner.

Likely XII: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Dhruv Jurel, Eight R Ashwin, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Sandeep Sharma, 12 Yuzvendra Chahal.

In the highlight

Pitch and circumstances

Red soil or black soil? It’s the query to ask within the lead-up to each sport in Lucknow, and it is a doubtlessly tough one for the house aspect forward of this sport. LSG love controlling video games with their spinners on black-soil pitches, however Royals come right here with among the best spin assaults within the competitors.

Stats that matter

Quotes

“You’ve got to keep that white noise away. That’s the skill of really good teams. You can’t look too much at what others are doing. We have no control over that. We’ve got to turn up every day and be the best that we can be, and then, we’ll definitely qualify [for the playoffs] if we do that.”
LSG assistant coach S Sriram on the extreme competitors to complete within the prime 4

“We’ve played eight matches and won seven of them, and in those seven matches we’ve had six different Man of the Match [winners]. So everyone in the team has been contributing. This is the biggest thing that wins matches. Whenever there’s a requirement, a different player [steps up]. It’s not like just one player is winning us games.”
RR batter Dhruv Jurel on the key of their storming begin to the season