After a below-par display in the opener, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will be eager to produce a much-improved display in Match 11 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 against Punjab Kings (PBKS). LSG will aim to bounce back in their first home game following a rusty performance away against the Rajasthan Royals. The KL Rahul-led side lost their opening fixture by 20 runs at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur last Sunday.
Meanwhile, PBKS will aim to bounce back after a disappointing defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Punjab's campaign was off to a great start with the win over Delhi Capitals but faltered in the second game against the Challengers.
The match on March 30 will be LSG's second and PBKS's third in the 17th Indian Premier League. Having lost the one IPL match they've played so far this season, LSG currently have no points on the IPL 2024 Points Table. PBKS have two points and a positive net run rate of +0.025.
LSG vs PBKS match preview: LSG's bowling woes
In the absence of the English pace duo of Mark Wood and David Willey, all the LSG bowlers were expensive and ineffective against the Royals. Krunal Pandya was the only saving grace for the Super Giants.
Prolific wicket-taker Ravi Bishnoi too leaked plenty of runs in the team's opening fixture. With no other experienced bowler in the ranks, Mohsin Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Yash Thakur have been burdened with the responsibility of leading the LSG pacer attack.
KL Rahul vs Shikhar Dhawan: LSG skipper's hopes for batting support
LSG captain KL Rahul scored a fluent 58 in his comeback match but he would hope his opening partner Quinton de Kock finds his form against PBKS after missing out against the Royals. Meanwhile, LSG's Indian batting trio of Devdutt Padikkal, Ayush Badoni, and Deepak Hooda would also be eager to impress.
A big hitter, Quinton de Kock had announced his retirement from Test and ODI cricket in 2021 and 2023, respectively, to spend more time with his family, and to focus mainly on T20 league cricket. His IPL career highest score is an unbeaten 140 that came in 2022, against the Kolkata Knight Riders. He'll be looking to make his first 50 of the season against Punjab Kings.
Batting in the lower-middle order will depend on the two all-rounders - Krunal Pandya and Marcus Stoinis.
LSG vs PBKS: Punjab Kings aiming to bounce back
Though PBKS have gotten off the mark in the tournament with a victory against the Capitals, the Punjab team have plenty of issues to address. The win against the Capitals papered over the fully exposed cracks in the loss against RCB.
Captain Shikhar Dhawan has got starts in both games, his strike rate of 137.50 and 121.2 in the two innings is far from ideal. Jonny Bairstow's form is also a cause for concern for the Punjab-based franchise.
Last year's standout performer Prabhsimran Singh has also flattered to deceive so far. PBKS have benefited from Sam Curran's batting displays in the opening two games but he has been wasteful with the ball.
Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel have all bowled decently so far but will need to tighten up to keep LSG's strong batting line-up quiet.
Tata IPL 2024 Match 11 preview: PBKS vs LSG, head-to-head
PBKS and LSG have faced off on three occasions in IPL so far. The Super Giants hold a slight edge over the Kings with two wins compared to the solitary win for the then Mohali-based side.
In the last meeting between LSG and PBKS at Mohali, KL Rahul and Co had piled on 257 before restricting the host to 201. Lucknow will be hoping for a similar run feast at their home ground.
LSG vs PBKS, IPL 2024: Squads
Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Krunal Pandya, Yudhvir Singh, Prerak Mankad, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra, Shamar Joseph, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, K. Gowtham, Shivam Mavi, Arshin Kulkarni, M Siddharth, Ashton Turner, David Willey, Mohd. Arshad Khan.
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (captain), Matthew Short, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Sikandar Raza, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Shivam Singh, Harshal Patel, Chris Woakes, Ashutosh Sharma, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Shashank Singh, Tanay Thyagarajann, Prince Choudhary, Rilee Rossouw.
Match starts at 7:30 PM IST.
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