🏏 IPL 2024 ~ Match N4 ~ RR vs LSG @3.30 PM IT🏏 - Page 2

Thanks for the tag Parm.

May the best team win.

Cheers..

Two successive seasons finishing third on the table and ending their journey both times in the Eliminator, Lucknow Super Giants will be eager to go the distance this time around. The focus will be on KL Rahul, the middle-order batter/wicketkeeper and how he fares fitness wise and in terms of strike rate in the T20 World Cup scheme of things. And also how the team performs under Justin Langer, the new head coach of the team, in his maiden IPL coaching stint. With Nicholas Pooran named vice captain, the West Indian would like to play a key role - both on the field and from a leadership point of view.

The Super Giants bowlers picked up only 14 wickets in Powerplay in the last IPL at an average of 53.79 - the worst for any team. With Mark Wood having pulled out and Avesh Khan being traded, the pace department will look up to Shamar Joseph to turn their fortunes around. Mohsin Khan's return gives them a boost as well.

One to watch: KL Rahul

He isn't an automatic choice anymore in India's T20I squad, having last played a T20I in the Adelaide semis in November 2022, but Rahul will be eager to present his case as one of the wicketkeeper-batter options when the Ajit Agarkar-led panel picks the squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup which begins soon after the IPL. Over the years, be it with Punjab Kings or Lucknow Super Giants, Rahul the opener has employed a measured approach with the bat. Now, as a middle order batter, he will look to play with more freedom. His strike rate in the powerplay in the previous three seasons put together is 112.5. But Rahul has improved numbers in the subsequent phases - 143.14 in overs 7-15 and 169.93 in overs 16-20.

It's the 17th season of the Indian Premier League, and Rajasthan Royals still have to settle with the glory of the inaugural year. The perennial underdogs and the perennial underachievers would much rather be the perennial big bullies of the big league. For that though, they have been too inconsistent.

A road to the final in 2022 promised a long-term peak, but despite retaining their core, they couldn't emulate that dominance last year. Nonetheless, over the last two seasons, the extent of Rajasthan Royals' weaknesses and strengths were tested. When all the players were in form, like in 2022, they could put up incredible performances with the quality options they possessed in both batting and bowling. When not, the limitations and absence of depth in both departments came exposed, like the last season - where despite quality, they often fell short.

A swap to bring in Avesh Khan in place of Devdutt Padikkal has further strengthened their pace bowling department, but that wasn't the biggest of their concerns. They have left the batting a bit vulnerable without adequate backups. They couldn't do much to beef up the batting muscle in their bowling department either at the latest auction. However, they added a few explosive batters to provide some firepower in their lower middle order.

One stat from last year they'll want to remedy

Rajasthan Royals missed the passage to the playoffs by just one spot last season. A good reason for that was their underwhelming performance in Jaipur, where they lost four out of five games. The Sawai Mansingh Stadium, which had served as their fortress till 2018 - winning 29 out of 35 games - had become a tough venue to ace for the squad that was assembled post-2019 mega auction. In fact, till 2013, they boasted a win percentage of 72.72 - the most by any team at their main home venue. In 2019, 2022, and 2023 - the remaining three years when they played in Jaipur, their win record at the venue dropped to 47.37. They would hope to get their mojo back in what was once their 'fortress'.

One to watch:

Shubham Dubey: The 29-year-old southpaw from Vidarbha may have been a late bloomer, but he has made a strong impact in domestic cricket with his big-hitting prowess since making his domestic debut two years ago. His ability to be able to hit big shots right from the outset under pressure makes him a rare player in the Indian domestic circuit. Not surprisingly, Rajasthan Royals were willing to stretch to INR 5.8 Crore in the bidding war for his services. With Shimron Hetmyer coming into the tournament at the back of poor form and Riyan Parag yet to give a strong account of his abilities in the IPL - despite his domestic exploits - Dubey could be the power-hitting answer that Royals have been searching for, for many seasons in their lower middle order.

Nobody tags me in IPL threads

Iske liye koi entry fees lagaayi hai kya

Go RR for the win

Best wishes Ashwin, Yashasvi, Butler, Sanju, Hetmyer, chahal and Sandeep

Originally posted by: SlatePencil

Nobody tags me in IPL threads

Iske liye koi entry fees lagaayi hai kya

Sandeep Sharma ko plying XI mein kyun mention nahin kiya?

Neutral today. May the best team win. May the team I randomly selected for predictions win