Let down by below-par batting in its recent twin defeats, Punjab Kings (PBKS) will want its batters to improve its dot-ball count when it takes on a rampaging Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday.

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After a flying start to the new season with two wins, Punjab endured two back-to-back losses following its failure to post good totals on the board. If skipper Shikhar Dhawan was left to carry the team on his shoulders against former champion Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the day he failed, the other batters could only manage 153/8 against defending champion Gujarat Titans (GT), mainly because of Shahrukh Khan's nine-ball 22.

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The main reason behind PBKS's underwhelming total was their failure to push the scoring in the middle overs between 10 and 15. They played 56 dot balls, an area where the team must improve. "We did not put many runs on the board. We have to rectify that thing as we advance. If you see the number of dot balls; if a team plays 56 balls, you end up losing the game," Dhawan had said after the loss.

With scores of 40, 86 not out, and 99 not out in his first three innings, Dhawan remains undoubtedly Punjab's most impactful player, but the inconsistency of the other batters is a reason for worry. Young opening partner Prabhsimran Singh exploded in the opening match but has failed since. In contrast, the other batters -- Matthew Short and Jitesh Sharma, have yet to be able to consolidate their starts.

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While the batters are disappointed, the bowling unit, led by young Arshdeep Singh, has looked fine. Arshdeep and England's Sam Curran took the game to the last ball while defending a modest total on a belter of a wicket before Rahul Tewatia intervened on Thursday. Among spinners, Harpreet Brar has used his resources well, while Rahul Chahar remains a wily customer, but to be fair to the bowlers, they didn't have enough runs to play with.

On the other hand, the Super Giants have won their last two games, and another win on Saturday will take them to the top spot in the IPL standing. While skipper KL Rahul has struggled with his strike rate, the Super Giants have found new heroes to take the team home.

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If Krunal Pandya produced an all-round show against Sunrisers, West Indian Nicholas Pooran's breathtaking 19-ball 62 helped them to chase down a problematic 212 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in its last match. LSG has a balanced batting line-up, with opener Kyle Mayers producing the goods in the first two matches. At the same time, the lower middle order comprising Marcus Stoinis, Pooran and Ayush Badoni showed the other day it can win crunch games.

However, Deepak Hooda has failed so far. Losing three wickets in the PowerPlay (PP) almost jeopardised its chase against RCB, and LSG will hope it was just an aberration. Among bowlers, they have a good mix of pace and spin. While Mark Wood and Avesh Khan have looked good, leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, veteran leggie Amit Mishra and Krunal Pandya have also shone in their respective roles.

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Squads:
PBKS: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Rahul Chahar, Sam Curran, Rishi Dhawan, Nathan Ellis, Gurnoor Brar, Harpreet Brar, Harpreet Singh, Vidwath Kaverappa, Liam Livingstone, Mohit Rathee, Prabhsimran Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, M Shahrukh Khan, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Singh, Matthew Short, Sikandar Raza and Atharva Taide.
LSG: KL Rahul (c and wk), Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Amit Mishra, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Naveen ul Haq, Ayush Badoni, Avesh Khan, Karan Sharma, Yudhvir Charak, Yash Thakur, Romario Shepherd, Mark Wood, Swapnil Singh, Manan Vohra, Daniel Sams, Prerak Mankad, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jaydev Unadkat, Marcus Stoinis, Ravi Bishnoi and Mayank Yadav.

Match details
Date and day: April 15, 2023 (Saturday)
Venue: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
Time: 7.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and other Star Sports regional language channels - Also available in HD
Where to watch (Online): JioCinema

(With inputs from PTI)