The Lucknow Super Giants had a strong start to their campaign, winning 3 out of their first 4 matches. However, over the past week, the team has slightly lost momentum and enters this competition after consecutive defeats. As a result, the team has dropped from the top 4 positions. The “Lucknow Super Giants” will rely on K.L. Rahul and Quinton de Kock to give them a good start. Although this duo has made some good strikes, they will need to perform more consistently going forward. Nicholas Pooran will be another key player for LSG. He is the top scorer in the team and has scored 223 runs at an average of 74.33. The biggest weakness of LSG is its middle order. Players like Krunal Pandya, Marcus Stoinis, Ayush Badoni, and Deepak Hooda have repeatedly failed, leading to the team performing below par. As for the bowling department, Shamarh Brooks made his IPL debut quite modestly, losing the match against KKR. He will be joined by Mohsin Khan and Yash Thakur from the pace department. Ravi Bishnoi has also struggled, taking only 4 wickets in 6 games. The absence of Mayank Yadav is a big event as he proved to be a middle-order player. Without him, LSG may face difficulties again.
The Chennai Super Kings have won 4 out of 6 matches and are currently in 3rd place in the points table. A win here will help the team create some safety cushion in the extremely cluttered mid-table. CSK started the last match with Ajinkya Rahane and Ruturaj Gaikwad as the opening pair. The duo is not in the best form, but their appearance is only a matter of time. Ruturaj Gaikwad might return to the top role in this match. The middle-order of CSK in the last two games has been very solid. Shivam Dube and Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a pair of half-centuries each and maintained this standard at the middle level. Dube is currently the best hitter against spin in the IPL. His contribution could be crucial on the slow surface in Lucknow. With players like Daryl Mitchell, Ravindra Jadeja, and MS Dhoni following them down the order, the team has enough depth in their game. Moeen Ali bowled brilliantly in the last match, taking 4 wickets. He proved to be invaluable, especially during the death overs. Additionally, CSK will utilize the services of Mustafizur Rahman and Tushar Deshpande with the new ball, while Ravindra Jadeja will lead the spin attack. The conditions in Lucknow will be very similar to what you can see in Chennai, and ultimately this may lead to people in yellow having the advantage.
