IPL 2023: Match 26, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Predicted Playing XI vs Rajasthan Royals

Lucknow Super Giants. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)

After enduring a defeat at the hands of Punjab Kings in the last match, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are all set to take up their next assignment in the IPL 2023. KL Rahul and Co. will be up against high-flying Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Wednesday, April 19.

While Rajasthan currently stand atop the points table with eight points, Lucknow are placed second with six points and a Net Run Rate (NRR) of 0.761. Speaking about their head-to-head records, the two sides have contested in two matches thus far in the league and the Royals have won boththe fixtures.

KL Rahul and Co. will not only avoid another defeat against the Royals but also get back to winning ways in the ongoing season. Playing at home, Sanju Samson’s Royals will look to get two more points and inch closer towards a place in the play-offs.

Here’s Lucknow Super Giants’ predicted XI against Rajasthan Royals:

Openers: KL Rahul (c), Kyle Mayers

KL Rahul and Kyle Mayers. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)

Prior to the match against Punjab Kings, skipper KL Rahul faced a lot of criticism for his underwhelming run with the bat. With 8, 20, 35, and 18 runs in the first four games, Rahul needed to score big to silence his critics.

In his most recent match against the Kings, the 31-year-old notched up a well-compiled innings of 74 off 56, which included eight boundaries and one six.

Speaking about Kyle Mayers, the Caribbean lad relished a sensational start to the season with two back-to-back half-centuries against Delhi Capitals (73 runs) and Chennai Super Kings (53 runs).

However, in the last three outings, the batter has returned a combined score of 42 runs with one duck to his name. Despite this, Mayers has the potential to hand his side a solid foundation and carve out vital partnerships in the contest. Undoubtedly, a big knock will help him get his rhythm back in the league for LSG.

Middle Order: Nicholas Pooran (wk), Ayush Badoni

Nicholas Pooran 1. (Photo Source: IPL/Twitter)

The 23-year-old Ayush Badoni has compiled scores of 18, 23, 30, and 5* in five matches thus far. Though he has not been able to convert his innings into bigger scores, the franchise will hope he creates the required impact in the middle-order. 

On the other hand, Nicholas Pooran has the potential to single-handedly win matches for his side. His instrumental knock (62 runs) against RCB spoke volumes of what he is capable of in crunch moments of the game. The southpaw will look to make the most of the opportunities and continue handing the vital runs in the middle-order.

All-rounders: Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Marcus Stoinis

Marcus Stoinis and Krunal Pandya. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)

Deepak Hooda is yet to produce a defining knock in the league. Since the start of LSG’s campaign, Hooda has endured a lean patch despite the management backing him to feature in the XI. Considering that Lucknow have already played five matches in the lucrative T20 competition, the batter will need to display his ‘A’ game to cement his place in the side. 

Stoinis and Krunal failed to fire with the bat in the last outing against Punjab. While Krunal scored 18 off 17, Stoinis was dismissed for 15 off 11. Furthermore, Krunal proved to be costly with the ball as he leaked runs at 10.66 in his three overs.

However, both the all-rounders have played game-changing innings in the previous matches and the side will back them to perform well, as the two can be lethal during the middle and death overs.

Bowlers: Avesh Khan, Jaydev Unadkat, Mark Wood, Ravi Bishnoi

Mark Wood. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)

Mark Wood is enjoying his time on the field, getting the required breakthroughs for his side. The ace pacer is currently the joint-leading wicket-taker in the competition with 11 wickets in four matches.

The English pacer was able to get two wickets to his name against Punjab Kings. However, there is still room for improvement in terms of restricting the rival side from targeting him for the big runs.

Seasoned pacer Jaydev Unadkat could likely make his way back into the XI for Yudhvir Singh Charak. Though Yudhvir relished a fine outing in the previous game, getting two wickets, Unadkat’s experience could come in handy against Rajasthan’s batting line-up.

Moreover, with the kind of form maintained by the Royals thus far in the league, LSG’s pace bowling unit will aim to be razor-sharp with their game. Unadkat and Wood will need to lead the pace-bowling attack by putting their best foot forward and get the wickets early on to keep their side steady. 

Ravi Bishnoi bowled just 2.3 overs against the Kings in the previous outing butwas able to get two wickets under his belt, with the vital scalps of Sikandar Raza and Sam Curran. On the other hand, Avesh Khan failed to get any breakthroughs but was decent in his performance as he concluded with an economy of 8.00 in his four overs. However, both Bishnoi and Avesh can play an instrumental role in decking the rival batting line-up in the upcoming clash.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Probable Playing 11:

KL Rahul (c), Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Ayush Badoni, Avesh Khan, Jaydev Unadkat, Mark Wood, Ravi Bishnoi

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Probable Impact Players:

Yudhvir Singh Charak, Yash Thakur, Quinton de Kock, Prerak Mankad, Krishnappa Gowtham