Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will play against each other in the 26th match of the Indian Premier League 2023 season. The match will take place at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Both these sides would be looking to top the points table as these two are the sides currently at the top two positions.
Overview
Rajasthan Royals: The Rajasthan Royals boast a potent batting line-up featuring the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, and Sanju Samson, who provide the team with a strong start and plenty of runs during the powerplay.
Jos Buttler has been the top run-scorer for the Rajasthan Royals, amassing 204 runs in the IPL thus far. Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal has maintained an impressive strike rate of 149.45, scoring 136 runs in the tournament. In a recent match against the Gujarat Titans, when Buttler and Jaiswal faltered, skipper Sanju Samson stepped up and rescued the team with a blistering 32-ball 60, while Shimron Hetmyer finished off the match with a quickfire 56 off 26 balls.
Devdutt Padikkal has also played some valuable innings for the Rajasthan Royals, while Riyan Parag has struggled to capitalize on his chances. Additionally, RR boasts a strong spin bowling unit, featuring the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa, and Ravichandran Ashwin, who can make life difficult for their opponents.
In a match against the Chennai Super Kings, the spinners played a crucial role in RR's victory, while in another match against the Delhi Capitals, pace spearhead Trent Boult picked up two wickets in the first over to derail the opposition's chase. Sandeep Sharma, a medium pacer, has also utilized his experience to great effect, consistently taking wickets during his spells for his team.
Lucknow Super Giants: LSG, with three victories and two defeats, possesses a wealth of talent, but their occasional shortcomings have resulted in two losses. In their recent match against the Punjab Kings, Lucknow failed to score enough runs during the middle overs, falling short by 10-15 runs in the end. Despite KL Rahul's remarkable return to form, scoring a scorching 74 off 56 balls, LSG will regret the scoring opportunities they missed during the middle overs. Lucknow's batting lineup is formidable, with Kyle Mayers at the top and Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis in the middle, capable of dominating any opposition.
Although Mayers fulfilled his role in the powerplay, he may need to focus on building partnerships after the initial six overs, particularly with Deepak Hooda struggling to score at the top. He might as well get replaced with Quinton de Kock who has been sitting on the sidelines. LSG made a crucial mistake in the previous match against PBKS by bringing in the talented Ravi Bishnoi too late, allowing the opposition batters to take the chase deep into the final over. Bishnoi's deceptive googly makes him a tricky bowler to face, and captain Rahul may consider using him in the middle overs instead of reserving him for the death overs. Krishnappa Gowtham and Krunal Pandya have also performed admirably in their respective roles.
In terms of fast bowlers, LSG has the fierce pace of Mark Wood and Avesh Khan, with Yudhvir Singh Charak looking to continue his excellent form after a brilliant two-wicket haul on debut against Punjab. However, Lucknow faces an uphill battle against the Royals, who have won three consecutive matches and secured the top spot in the IPL standings with a well-coordinated team effort.
Probable XII (XI+Impact Player)
Rajasthan Royals
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Ravichandran Ashwin, SV Samson(C), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Sharma
Impact Player: Jason Holder (if RR bat first), Devdutt Padikkal (if RR bat second)
Lucknow Super Giants
KL Rahul(C), Quinton de Kock, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran(wk), Mark Wood, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Yudhvir Singh
Impact Player: Krishnappa Gowtham (if LSG bat first), Karan Sharma (if LSG bat second)
Head-to-head
Total 2
RR won 2
LSG won 0
Interesting Facts
2 – Trent Boult (98) is two scalps away from reaching 100 wickets in the IPL.
3 – Jos Buttler (297) is three fours short of reaching 300 fours in the league.
4 – Marcus Stoinis (96) needs four wickets to complete 100 wickets in T20s.
5 – Ravi Bishnoi (45) is five scalps away from completing 50 wickets in the league.
7 – Jos Buttler (143) needs seven sixes to get to 150 maximums in the league.
7 – Devdutt Padikkal (143) requires seven fours to complete 150 fours in the IPL.
8 – KL Rahul (342) needs eight fours to reach 350 fours in the IPL.
10 – Sanju Samson (290) requires ten fours to get to 300 fours in the cash-rich league.
53 – KL Rahul (6947) requires 53 runs to reach the milestone of 7000 runs in all T20s.
Pitch/Weather Report: The upcoming match between LSG and RR will mark the first game of the season at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The average first innings score in the last five T20 games at this venue has been 127 runs, indicating that the pitch tends to favor bowlers. However, there is also a possibility that the pitch may provide extensive support to the batters in this game. The skies are expected to remain clear for the entirety of this game.
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Date & Time: April 19th at 7:30 PM IST (local time)
Live Streaming: Star Sports Network (Television) and Jio Cinema (OTT/Digital)
Dream 11 Team
