Pranav Mehta
IPL STROKES
LSG vs GT AT LUCKNOW
TEAM INFO – Standing in second position, Lucknow are pretty well placed with 4 wins from 6 games. Defending that low-scoring game against table-toppers Rajasthan would have given a lot of confidence to Lucknow.
Defending champions Gujarat started the tournament with back-to-back wins, but with 2 losses in their last 3 games, they would be looking to get the momentum right at the earliest now and what better opponent than, the one they have always dominated.
Head-to-Head - Played - 2; Won by GT – 2; Won by LSG – 0
GT possible XI – KL Rahul (c), Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Ayush Badoni, Naveen-ul-Haq, Avesh Khan, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Ravi Bishnoi.
LSG possible XI – Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, Joshua Little.
Pitch & Weather Report - The pitch at the Ekana Cricket Stadium is a bit slow in nature. The ball tends to hold a bit on the surface and the batters will have to be on their toes while batting here. The spinners will play a major role while bowling at this venue. The temperature in Lucknow is expected to range between 22 and 37 degrees Celsius.
Match Prediction – Two teams that have started their journey just last season and are looking to dominate this circuit will be clashing in a contest which will lead to bragging rights for fans on both the sides. The major concern with Lucknow is the restrictive game play of KL Rahul and it becomes a major issue when they bat first. Gujarat are much more stable and organised team and they should get through this challenge in a closely fought encounter.
MI VS PBKS AT MUMBAI
TEAM INFO – After continuing the momentum from last season, finally Mumbai have won 3 in a row and don’t really think that they are looking to give up on this momentum at any cost. Although, they are going to be facing the big-bull killers Punjab, that have defeated two incredibly strong teams – Gujarat and Lucknow. With both these just differentiated by NRR (sitting at 6 points), its going to be one interesting game. Also, the small Wankhede ground will make it very entertaining.
Head-to-Head - Played - 29; Won by MI – 15; Won by PBKS – 14
MI possible XI – Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David, Cameron Green, Arjun Tendulkar, Nehal Wadhera, Hrithik Shokeen, Piyush Chawla, Jason Behrendorff
PBKS possible XI – Atharva Taide, Mathew Short, Harpreet Singh, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh
Pitch & Weather Report - The pitch at Wankhede Stadium is a wonderful track to bat on. The batters can hit through the line right from the start of their innings. Short boundaries on either side help the batters and fans can expect a high-scoring affair on Saturday. The temperature in Mumbai is expected to hover between 27 to 32 degrees Celsius. It will stay humid throughout the
day.
Match Prediction – This contest is will be a mouth-watering one between two sides which has chosen to play aggressive and counter-attacking cricket irrespective of the situation. Although, between both the sides, it's Punjab, who have a better batting depth and a more stable bowling line-up. Guess this one going to Punjab Kings.
Fan Comments
– “It has been terrible to see KL Rahul in the last year or two. Wonder why wouldn’t our national heroes go down and play domestic cricket to get their form and confidence back. Hate to see him kill the franchise that I love so much.” – Faizan Bashir, 56, Businessman, Indian.
“I love the way that Mumbai often has a terrible start and then they find a way to make a come back and get things right in no time. Surely, they have something that’s brilliant in their team management and guess its something to do with the Reliance owners.” – Sandeep Chaurasiya, 46, Chief Financial Officer/MNC, Indian.
“A lot of people have compared IPL and PSL, being a nationalist. But honestly, as a true cricket fan, I have to accept that IPL has
had a huge role in changing the way cricket is looked at and the huge development behind it. Obviously, can’t take away the credit from ICL, which started everything.” – Raheem Afridi, 53, General Manager, Pakistani.
“I have become a huge fan of this game in the last few years and I really enjoy the celebration and aggression of Mr Virat Kohli. His positive energy fills huge motivation and inspiration in me. I am looking forward to more Omanis playing for the national team and make our flag fly high, irrespective of the results. Both my partner and neighbour is from Lucknow and today we will be enjoying Eid with our family watching the match at my farm. EID MUBARAK. – Salim Mohd al Busaidi, 62, Retired/Businessman, Omani.
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