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It’s still the very beginning of the IPL, but teams don’t like to sit at the bottom of the table. The Lucknow Super Giants would look to register their first win in front of their own crowd. In today’s game, the Lucknow Super Giants face the Punjab Kings at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. It is a venue that usually has low bounce and low scores. A red-soil pitch is expected for this game, which would provide more than expected bounce for the seamers. Speaking about the pitch, LSG Coach Justin Langer said,
“I am aware of how the bounce and dimensions work on this surface. So, my task is to inform the players of the good pockets where we can bowl to get the most from the pitch.”
The last time these two teams met in Mohali, it was a run fest, with LSG scoring 257, followed by 201 from the Kings. LSG hasn’t had the start they would have liked, getting defeated by the Rajasthan Royals by 20 runs. Their bowling seems to be a concern, as it looks like the franchise would take a little longer to unleash Shamar Joseph. They would heavily bank on their impressive batting line-up to turn the tide around.
Punjab Kings, on the other hand, also come into this fixture after a defeat to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Their concern would be the form of Johnny Bairstow, who has yet to show his true colours for the franchise. They would also look to improve on their death bowling after being rattled by Dinesh Kartik. Their bowling unit looks like they have all bases covered, but Harshal Patel’s performance would be key against the Super Giants.
KL Rahul versus Kagiso Rabada would be an interesting contest to watch. Rahul has been dismissed by Rabada three times, only scoring 50 runs in 36 deliveries. Also, Shikhar Dhawan doesn’t boast a good record against left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya.
