The tragic state of Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant, the sublime touch of Bat and Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer, brings together Sunday’s mid-table a mesmerizing match that can decisively affect the fate of either side as the ipl goes into the business end.
Iyer's understanding of the game situation and its evolution as captain without damaging his batting, served PBK well. In the last game, Captain PBK hit his fourth and half century of the season, helping his team score 13 points in 10 games.
Pant, on the other hand, endured a disappointing run in the bat, earning a total of 6 unit points in 10 games for a total of 110 times. His only notable knock rate this season is 63 against the Chennai Super Kings. Pant's poor form puts his side in a virtual winning situation against PBK, and LSG is currently ranked sixth with 10 points.
Iyer played a key role in the Kolkata Knights Championship campaign last season, but released at a major auction, he was snapped up by PBK for a staggering Rs 2.675 crore. Since then, he has immediately had an impact under his keen tactical leadership.
Once Iyer suffered a attack on the short ball, he made significant technical adjustments to overcome long-standing weaknesses. All-rounder Glenn Maxwell was left out of the rest of the game due to a broken finger, and Iyer will have to find a suitable replacement for easier said.
Depending on the conditions, Iyer can turn to Aaron Hardie, who has not yet been reached, or even Xavier Bartlett's Azmatullah Omarzai. In the batting department, the latest loophole in the opener Prabhsimran Singh is a dream. More confident than ever, the 25-year-old became the first player in IPL history to span 1,100 runs when PBK defeated CSK on his last outing.
PBKS hits well. In the bowling world, PBK will be inspired by the return form of Yuzvendra Chahal. The leg spinner relies on instinct and subtle changes in gripping the surface to claim the final match against CSK.
The final game of the week comes after a week's match in Mumbai on April 27, with a grand LSG looking to restart its season. While the return of Pacers Mayank Yadav after a prolonged injury was positive, the Mumbai Indians still beat 54 times, exposing the damage in the batting unit, filled with Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran and David Miller.
Pooran (377 runs), Marsh (344) and Markram (326) often form the cornerstone of LSG's hit success, and their performance on Sunday will be the key to the team's prospects. Although Avesh Khan has been consistent, Mayank's return has increased the pace of the offense. Although the bowling range was slightly below his early 150-155 high at 140km, he had an impact on the MI with two wickets, a performance that should boost his confidence before the PBKS clash.
Team (from):
Lucknow Super Giant: Rishabh Pant (c & wk), David Miller, Aiden Markram, Aryan Juyal, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmad, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Arshin Kulkarni, Ayush Badoni, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Akash Singh, Shamar Joseph, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi.
King of Punjab: Shreyas Iyer (c), Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Glenn Maxwell, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Josh Inglis, Xavier Bartlett, Kuldeep Sen, Pyla Avinash, Suryansh Shedge, Musheer Khan, Harnoor Pannu, Aaron Hardie, Priyansh Arya, Azmatullah Omarzai.
The competition begins at 7:30 pm.
