🏏IPL 2025- LSG vs Mumbai Indians, Match 16th 4th Apr 7:30PM IST 🏏

🏏IPL 2025- Lucknow Super Giants vs Mumbai Indians, Match 16th 4th April, 7:30PM IST at Lucknow 🏏

Since they came into existence in 2022, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have the joint-best head-to-head record against Mumbai Indians (MI). LSG have a 5-1 record against the five-time champions, but face them in Lucknow with problems to solve.

With the bat, Nicholas Pooran and Mitchell Marsh have played impactful knocks. But the others, including Rishabh Pant, are yet to perform. Pant has only made 17 runs in three innings, while Ayush Badoni, whom LSG had retained, has made 51. Aiden Markram has also had a slow start to the season, and that compounds LSG's woes after they were hit by injuries to fast bowlers Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan. Akash is now fit to play his first game of the season.

MI began their season with back-to-back losses before bouncing back with a comprehensive win against Kolkata Knight Riders. Even without Jasprit Bumrah, MI have been among the best bowling sides this season: they are second-best in terms of wickets taken, average and economy rate.

As for their batting, Suryakumar Yadav seems to be back in form, while Ryan Rickelton made a rapid half-century against KKR. But Rohit Sharma's low returns - just 21 runs in three innings - remain a concern. This contest, then, could be a test of both teams' batting.

A new squad under a new captain. 40,000 odd in attendance. First home game of the season. The way Lucknow Super Giants tanked against Punjab Kings would have hurt. And it was evident in their newly-appointed mentor Zaheer Khan's short butexplosive press conference, where he expressed disappointment at not only the loss but also the playing surface, going as far as saying that it felt like it was prepared by a "Punjab curator". Oops.

That Lucknow, with its slow surfaces and large boundaries, isn't a routine venue for 200+ scores has been established over the years. In fact, there's only ever been one total above 200 since it started hosting IPL matches. The disappointment, it's understood, stemmed less from the pitch itself and more from how it was interpreted in the leadup to the match. Perhaps expecting the red-soil pitch to behave a bit differently, LSG played only two pacers and four spin options as opposed to PBKS, who bowled as many as 13 overs of pace and to good effect.

Learning things the hard way, LSG are expected to revisit their playing combination for this match against Mumbai Indians, especially on a black-soil pitch that didn't have much in it for the spinners last season. Fit-again Akash Deep's return to the squad will be a huge bonus and the pacer, who fronted the press on match eve, sounded confident about his match fitness.

MI, having finally gotten on the board, would have travelled to Lucknow with a huge sigh of relief but sterner tests await them in Uttar Pradesh's capital. It would take some adjusting to the pitch, which will not have the intrinsic pace and bounce like Wankhede. Playing away from home anyway has been an issue for them lately, with 13 losses in 18 away games since the start of IPL 2023.

When: Match 16, on Friday, 4 April 2025, at 7:30 PM local

Where: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

What to expect: A black-soil pitch, with one of the sides even shorter than the last match. Five of the last six IPL matches here have been won by the chasing side, but no dew is expected on match day.

The scores at this venue have shot up since the square was relaid ahead of the 2023 World Cup, but they are nowhere near what most other IPL venues promise since the Impact Rule rule kicked in. Part of that is to do with the large ground dimensions, which has meant that it's been harder to hit your way out of trouble after an early stutter. Negotiating the powerplay, which LSG didn't do very wellin their last match, will be crucial again.

Head to head: LSG 5 - 1 MI. The last time the teams met in Lucknow, LSG chased MI's 144 for 7 in the last over.

Team news

Lucknow Super Giants

Injuries/Availability: Akash Deep has joined the squad while Mayank Yadav continues to recover at BCCI's newly-built Centre of Excellence (COE). Akash sounded optimistic about Mayank joining the squad "soon".

Tactics and match-ups: Avesh Khan has been effective against Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, but if he doesn't cut it with the new ball, Ravi Bishnoi comes in with great numbers against two key MI batters too. The leggie has dismissed both Rohit Sharma [in six innings] and Suryakumar [in seven innings] three times each.

Probable XII: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (WK/C), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav/Akash Deep

Mumbai Indians

Injuries/Availability: No reported injuries in the camp.

Tactics and match-ups: Bowling spin to Rishabh Pant first up is a good option. The LSG captain has only 17 runs at a strike-rate of 65.38 in three outings this year so far. And his numbers against spin are even dire: 6 runs, 13 balls, 2 dismissals

Probable XII: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton(w), Will Jacks/Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Vignesh Puthur/Satyanarayana Raju

Form guide

Lucknow Super Giants: LWL (Last three matches; most recent first)

Mumbai Indians: WLL

Team news and likely XIIs - Akash Deep set to return

Akash is ready to go for LSG after recovering from the back injury he suffered last December. He could replace Avesh, who has gone for 75 runs in seven overs this season, and taken just one wicket.

Lucknow Super Giants: 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Ayush Badoni, 6 David Miller, 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Digvesh Rathi, 10 Akash Deep, 11 Ravi Bishnoi, 12 M Siddharth.

Will MI include an extra spinner in Mujeeb Ur Rahman if Lucknow is expected to be spin-friendly? The only game Mujeeb has played this season came on a black-soil pitch in Ahmedabad, where he was taken for 28 runs in two overs. If Mujeeb is back, it could be at the expense of Will Jacks.

Mumbai Indians: 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Ryan Rickelton (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Naman Dhir, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Ashwani Kumar, 11 Vignesh Puthur, 12 Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Big question

MI have a history of unearthing young Indian talent. Even Bumrah and Suryakumar first grew their T20 game at MI. This season, MI have unleashed left-arm wristspinner Vignesh Puthur and left-arm quick Ashwani Kumar to telling effect. While Puthur has four wickets in two games, Ashwani has four in one.

In the spotlight: Ravi Bishnoi, and MI's spinners

Ravi Bishnoi is LSG's highest wicket-taker since 2022. LSG retained him for INR 11 crore, but he has been expensive so far this season. He has three wickets in 11 overs at an economy rate of 12.54. In the middle overs, Bishnoi's eight overs have for gone at 12.25 per over. The next highest for anyone to have bowled at least that many overs during that phase is Ravindra Jadeja's 8.32. LSG will hope Bishnoi, their prime spinner, is back in rhythm before it's too late.

Mitchell Santner (left-arm orthodox), Puthur (left-arm wristspin), Mujeeb and Jacks (both offspinners) lend plenty of depth and variety to MI's spin department. MI have the second-best economy rate (8.12) and the third-best average (27.28) of all spin-bowling teams this season, and could field three of their four spinners in Lucknow, where, if the pitch provides turn, LSG's batters might not have it easy.

Pitch and conditions: LSG to use black-soil pitch

This IPL, home advantage has become a hot topic. The red-soil pitch LSG played on against Punjab Kings did not impress their mentor Zaheer Khan, who went on to say that it looked like the opposition's curator prepared it. Against MI, LSG will switch over to a black-soil surface, which is expected to be more spin-friendly. That could help LSG's spinners, but they will be wary of the move backfiring against MI's own spin contingent.

Temperatures in Lucknow could touch 38 degrees Celsius during the day, but could cool down considerably by the time the game starts at 7.30pm. There's no chance of rain.

Key Stats

Since 2017, 15 batters have at least 2500 runs in the IPL. Of them, Rohit Sharma has the lowest strike rate (130.09). His team-mate Suryakumar Yadav is third best at 147.98.

Since the start of 2024, Nicholas Pooran comfortably leads the six-hitting charts in all T20 cricket. He has smashed 202 sixes in this period, and is far ahead of Heinrich Klaasen (121) in second place.

Of the regular home grounds of the ten IPL teams since 2022, Lucknow has been the second-best spin-bowling venue behind Mullanpur in terms of both economy rate (7.44) and average (26.07).

Did you know?

Of the six sub-150 totals defended in the IPL since 2022, three have been against LSG.

Avesh doesn't have a very good record in Lucknow, with only three wickets in five matches at an average of 48.66, SR of 34 and ER of 8.58.

What they said

"I feel the first match is very important for me. I have played one practice match but after a two to three-month gap, you don't get the confidence until you play the match" - Akash Deep, LSG pacer

"It's about adaptability around whatever is presented on that particular day. As a former player and now part of coaching management, you want to be able to prepare for any eventuality and you try to control things that you can control. The nature of the surfaces is something that we can't control as a management and as a playing group, so whatever is presented, that's how you get to be called world-class and legends, that you are able to adapt to anything that is in front of you" - Kieron Pollard, MI batting coach