🏏IPL 2023: Match 43 - LSG vs RCB on 01/05/2023 at 7:30 PM IST 🏏

🏏IPL 2023: Match 43 - LSG vs RCB at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on 01/05/2023 at 7:30 PM IST 🏏

Tag & Logo Credit: Sevenstreaks

Lucknow the first stop for Kohli and co. as RCB begin string of away games

Super Giants aim to do season double over RCB and consolidate their position on the points table

RCB begin long streak of away games

The effect of travel fatigue is underrated. It can't be easy playing IPL games up until midnight and fly out the next day, before that same old routine for another game on the third day.

Teams were spared of this routine during the Covid-19 era, but the return of home-and-away has added another layer of intrigue. Royal Challengers Bangalore have played six of their eight games so far at home and have felt a sense of comfort not because of any apparent home advantage, but by knowing they ain't just living out of suitcases.

But all that changes now with Lucknow being the first of five pitstops during what promises to be a hectic series of away games, bunched together due to assembly election in Karnataka.

Playing on bigger grounds, and on some challenging decks may come as a relief for a side that has blown hot-and-cold. Their wins have been spectacular, but familiar failings - of being over reliant on their big three - have been exposed in defeats.

Lucknow can't get more challenging, both because of the surface that has tended to be slow and crumbly, but also because the Lucknow Super Giants will be coming into the game on the back of a record bash in Mohali two nights ago.

The RCB attack should welcome more bowler-friendly conditions as much as their batting will be wary of slip-ups; especially a slightly shaky middle order that has struggled to fill the Rajat Patidar void. Dinesh Karthik's lean run hasn't helped matters either.

Both sides played out a last-ball thriller in a high-scoring contest when the sides met for the first leg. This time around, LSG could have the edge because of their adaptability in playing on surfaces where 135 v 135 have made for compelling contests.

Form guide - (last five games, most recent first)

Lucknow Super Giants WLWLW

Royal Challengers Bangalore LWWLW

Marcus Stoinis was hit on the finger while trying to stop the ball in his follow-through

Marcus Stoinis was hit on the finger while trying to stop the ball in his follow-through•BCCI

Team news

Hazlewood likely for RCB; Stoinis under injury cloud

David Willey could sit out after injuring his foot while batting in RCB's previous game. But the good news is they have Josh Hazlewood fit and ready to replace him. Hazlewood has completed his rehab for an Achilles injury under the franchise and Cricket Australia's supervision.

Marcus Stoinis underwent a scan for his injured left index finger during Super Giants' previous game, and although it doesn't seem very serious, the short turnaround could potentially have him miss out this game.

Impact Player strategy

Lucknow Super Giants

Super Giants have shown a settled pattern with Amit Mishra coming in as an Impact Player with the ball by replacing a top-order batter like Kyle Mayers, after he's sent down his quota up front.

Super Giants XII: 1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Ayush Badoni, 4 Marcus Stoinis/Quinton de Kock, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Deepak Hooda, 8 Naveen-ul-Haq, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Avesh Khan, 11Yash Thakur, 12 Amit Mishra

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Harshal Patel's finger injury hasn't made batting easy, while Faf du Plessis continues to manage his rib injury. It's been three games now that they've not used the Impact Player rule to full capacity just so that du Plessis only bats and Harshal only bowls.

RCB XII: 1 Virat Kohli (capt), 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Mahipal Lomror, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Shahbaz Ahmed, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Suyash Prabhudessai, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Vijaykumar Vyshak, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Mohammed Siraj, 12 Harshal Patel

Stats that matter - Watch out for Rahul v Siraj

• In IPL 2023, fast bowlers have averaged 3.8 wickets per innings on an average in the eight batting innings here. Spinners, who've had purchase and turn on offer, have been more economical by conceding at 7.2 an over, compared to 7.7 off the quicks.
• The Ekana Stadium is the least favourable IPL 2023 venue in terms of run rate (7.50). Because scoring has been difficult, it's also produced the second-highest balls per six (22.3) in a match.
• Siraj has the second-most powerplay wickets among fast bowlers this season, but KL Rahul, who has tended to start slow, has a favourable match-up. His strike rate of 181 against Siraj is the second-highest against those who've bowled at least 40 T20 balls to him.

Thanks for the tag and thread, Raji!❤️

Pitch and conditions

Dew hasn't had much of an effect so far in Lucknow, and it's unlikely to change come Monday. Surfaces have been slow and have aided turn. Spinners will yet again have a massive say. RCB would gladly welcome the prospect of bowling to much bigger boundaries. There is also some rain predicted for Monday.

Pitch and conditions

Dew hasn't had much of an effect so far in Lucknow, and it's unlikely to change come Monday. Surfaces have been slow and have aided turn. Spinners will yet again have a massive say. RCB would gladly welcome the prospect of bowling to much bigger boundaries.

Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Pitch Report

A sluggish track awaits both teams as the pitch at the Ekana Cricket Stadium is a difficult surface to bat on. The batters need to adjust to the pace and bounce of the pitch before going for the shots, while the spinners will be able to extract a lot of turn and bounce in the later stages.

Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Weather Forecast

Some light showers are expected during the game on Monday. The temperature is expected to range between 22 and 27 degrees Celsius.

Thank you Raji for the thread and tag. 🤗

Best wishes to both the teams.

While I really don't like this pitch, it'll probably be a welcome change from the glut of 200+ scores we've been having recently in this tournament.

It can perhaps be said most years, but in this season particularly, inconsistent run of results will not yield progress. Every time Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis's RCB appear to take a big leap towards the top-four, they've immediately been dragged back a notch. They have won as many as they've lost - both home and away - and are on the outside looking in at an intense top-four race for now.

With the impending Karnataka elections, RCB are in a unique position in their quest for an upward surge in the points table. They have a long six-game stint on the road that begins on Monday at the Ekana stadium in Lucknow - the antithesis to the Chinnaswamy, as far as conditions go.

But that shouldn't entirely put them off as their bowlers have struggled on the true pitches at home this season. The likes of Harshal Patel and Wanindu Hasaranga will welcome the chance to bowl at a venue with the lowest average first innings score this season (152). RCB's fate though, could rest on how well their batting heavylifters Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell fare at a ground where the ball will not come onto the bat easily. The question is can the troika that has an average strike rate of 162.34 this season, bat with more caution considering batters around them have struggled.

LSG meanwhile, will have mixed feelings about returning to Lucknow. Their batting unit, that produced a jaw-dropping 257 on a true belter in Mohali, have found life tough on sluggish home pitches. Though the batting has suffered, their bowlers have been the silver lining, as they've maximised the conditions. They've picked 30 wickets in 4 fixtures and have the best average (18.50), strike rate (15.90) and economy rate (6.98) for a home side this season.

The previous meeting between these two teams this season turned out to be a thrill-a-minute, final ball finish at a throbbing Chinnaswamy stadium. Runs might not be as freely on offer at LSG's home, but given the opposing strengths of the two teams, expect another close contest, even if a low-scoring one.