IPL 2024, LSG vs RR Preview: Rajasthan Royals seek to extend dominance against resurgent Lucknow Super Giants
With an impressive seven victories from eight games in IPL 2024, the former champions, Rajasthan Royals, present a formidable challenge for Lucknow Super Giants, who seek redemption on their home turf.
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FollowRiding high on their winning streak, Rajasthan Royals are poised to extend their dominance and solidify their position at the summit as they face a resurgent Lucknow Super Giants in their IPL 2024 clash in Lucknow on Saturday.
With an impressive seven victories from eight games, the former champions, RR, present a formidable challenge for LSG, who seek redemption on their home turf.
LSG, having showcased commendable cricket, currently stand at fourth place with five wins from eight encounters.
As the teams gear up for Saturday's showdown, RR emerges as the clear favorites, having clinched three consecutive wins following a rare setback against Gujarat Titans.
In the batting arena, Assam's Riyan Parag has emerged as a standout performer for RR this season, amassing 318 runs in eight games and becoming the linchpin of their batting lineup.
The resurgence of Yashasvi Jaiswal further bolsters RR's batting prowess. In the previous match against Mumbai Indians, Jaiswal's unbeaten century, scoring 104 runs off 60 balls, guided RR to a comfortable nine-wicket victory while chasing a target of 180 runs.
Jaiswal's regained form poses a significant threat to RR's adversaries, especially considering the destructive capabilities of both him and Jos Buttler at the top order.
RR's batting revolves around skipper Sanju Samson, who has amassed 314 runs, supported by the explosive Shimron Hetmyer, providing a formidable lineup for the 2008 IPL champions.
While players like Rovman Powell and Dhruv Jurel need to step up, RR boasts a potent bowling attack with experienced campaigners like Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, and Sandeep Sharma, whose impressive 5 for 18 against Mumbai Indians has injected vigor into the side.
In the spin department, RR relies on the seasoned duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and R. Ashwin, although Ashwin has faced challenges this season. Chahal, however, leads the bowling charts for RR with 13 wickets from eight games.
LSG, seeking redemption after their initial loss to RR by 20 runs this season, aims for revenge and seeks to extend their winning streak to climb up the leaderboard. KL Rahul's team, buoyed by consecutive victories, acknowledges the need for improvement in the top order.
With Rahul and Quinton de Kock in form, LSG's batting poses a formidable challenge, although inconsistencies arise when the opening pair falters. However, Marcus Stoinis filled that void in the recent match against Chennai Super Kings, crafting a magnificent unbeaten century.
Despite early setbacks in the chase of 210/4, Stoinis showcased brilliance, scoring an unbeaten 124 off 63 balls, steering LSG to a remarkable six-wicket victory.
Stoinis' resurgence bodes well for LSG's middle order, where players like Devdutt Padikkal, Nicholas Pooran, and Deepak Hooda are urged to shoulder more responsibility.
In terms of bowling, LSG eagerly anticipates the return of their pace sensation, Mayank Yadav, for the RR encounter, following his absence due to a lower abdominal strain in recent matches.
"He is with (assistant coach) Lance Klusener and the rest of the guys in Lucknow, training and getting ready. So I think, anything from the next game onwards, we'll look to bring him back in," LSG bowling coach Morne Morkel had said ahead of their last game against CSK.
Teams (from):
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Kunal Rathore, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan, Rovman Powell, Shubham Dubey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Abid Mushtaq, Nandre Burger, Tanush Kotian, Keshav Maharaj.
Lucknow Super Giants: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul (c & wk), Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Shamar Joseph, Yash Thakur, Manimaran Siddharth, Prerak Mankad, Arshad Khan, Krishnappa Gowtham, Amit Mishra, Kyle Mayers, Ashton Turner, Matt Henry, Naveen-ul-Haq, Devdutt Padikkal, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Mayank Yadav and Arshin Kulkarni.
Match start time: 7.30 PM (IST).
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