🏏IPL 2025- Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings, Match-13 7:30 PM 🏏

🏏IPL 2025- Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings, Match-13th 7:30 PM IST at Lucknow 🏏

LSG aim to take down Punjab Kings in bowler-friendly Lucknow.

The match will be played on a red-soil pitch, which has plenty of grass cover

Sunrisers Hyderabad racked up 286 for 6 in their first game of IPL 2025. All eyes were on them when they came up against Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) inexperienced bowling attack, with 300 being the buzzword. But a death-bowling clinic before the death overs from LSG stopped them in their tracks. Punjab Kings (PBKS), in their first game of the season, posted 243 for 5 - the second-highest total of this year. Now they, too, are up against LSG.

LSG allrounder Shardul Thakur has made repeated calls for pitches that aid bowlers, and he will be happy to play at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, arguably the most bowler-friendly venue in the IPL. However, being at home is not necessarily a good thing for LSG, as they have a fifty-fifty record there. The in-form Nicholas Pooran, despite three seasons with the franchise, does not enjoy playing at this ground, averaging less than 25 and managing a high score of 42 in 14 matches.

Shardul Thakur pulled no punches while addressing the growing imbalance between bat and ball in the IPL. "All that the bowlers are asking is to prepare the pitch in such a manner that the game hangs in balance, and it should not be just one-sided where batters are coming and smashing us," the all-rounder said ahead of Lucknow Super Giants' first home game this season. "Because all we want is a fair chance and fair opportunity in the game."

In that context, he would be pleased to play seven home matches this season at a venue that, across the last two IPL editions, has recorded the lowest first-innings average (165), the lowest run rate (8.17) and the second-lowest runs per wicket (24.53) among all 14 venues.

To be fair, Lucknow as a city leaves very little room for complaint, except maybe if you are a batter. What the occasionally difficult and largely inconsistent playing surfaces here have done is prevent the LSG batters from truly imposing themselves on the opposition, despite possessing the skills to do that. Only seven wins in 13 completed home matches points to a lot of room for improvement, something that LSG would be keen to do, especially with five of their next seven matches scheduled in Lucknow.

What could make things trickier for LSG besides reading the pitch is the opposition they will face first up. Lately, Punjab Kings have thrived at most places that's not Mohali or Mullanpur, and they arrive in Lucknow on the back of a famous win in Ahmedabad. It was a night that saw Shreyas Iyer play a bonafide captain's knock, where he punished spin and pace while dismissing any thoughts of a maiden IPL hundred that might have come at the team's cost.

But Iyer's innings, Shashank Singh's whirlwind finish and Vijaykumar Vyshak's match-turning spell of yorkers all feel so distant, with PBKS having a week-long gap since. Fast bowling coach James Hopes felt it gave them time to prepare for a "spin heavy" challenge in Lucknow, but how the long break so early in the season will manifest in the middle is anybody's guess.

When: LSG v PBKS, Match 13, on 1 April, 2025, at 7:30 PM local

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

What to expect: A red-soil pitch that's not located centrally on the square, so the bowlers will have their task cut out defending the shorter side of the ground. That said, this is one of the biggest grounds in India and that should bring some relief to the bowling clan left huffing and puffing in this era of Impact Players. There hasn't been much dew at the ground in the three days leading up to the match, and another such day is likely on the cards. The weather is set to be fair.

Head to head: LSG 3 - 1 PBKS. When the teams met in Lucknow last year, also the first home game for LSG, the hosts won by 21 runs, with tearaway quick Mayank Yadav winning the Player of the Match.

In the spotlight: Rishabh Pant and Glenn Maxwell

After becoming the most expensive player in IPL history, Rishabh Pant has had a challenging start to his LSG stint. A six-ball duck in his first match followed by a run-a-ball 15 has seen him come under the scanner. Things are unlikely to get easier for him in Lucknow, where the conditions tend to favour the bowlers.

Glenn Maxwell's third stint with PBKS did not get off to the best of starts, as he was out for a golden duck against GT. But he has a good record against Avesh Khan and Ravi Bishnoi, and will be looking to make the most of the favourable match-ups.

Stats and trivia

• Since the start of 2004, Pooran is the only batter in T20s to score over 500 runs at No. 3 with an average of 45-plus and a strike rate of 160-plus.
• Pooran has also hit the most sixes (200) in T20s in that period. His closest competitor is Heinrich Klaasen with 121. Pooran's 49 sixes in the IPL during this time are also the most for any batter.
• David Miller is just 36 runs away from 3000 IPL runs.

Team news and likely XIIs

With PBKS' batting line-up stacked with right-handers, LSG could be tempted to bring in one of their left-arm spinners in Shahbaz Ahmed or M Siddharth in place of Abdul Samad. LSG could also consider swapping Aiden Markram to give his compatriot Matthew Breetzke a chance at the top of the order, but Breetzke's form has also been indifferent, with no half-century in his last ten T20 innings.

Lucknow Super Giants (probable): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 5 Ayush Badoni, 6 David Miller, 7 Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Prince Yadav, 11 Avesh Khan, 12 Digvesh Rathi

With the Ekana Cricket Stadium generally favouring spinners, PBKS could think of an additional slower bowler in Harpreet Brar to support Yuzvendra Chahal and Glenn Maxwell. This could mean that Vijaykumar Vyshak, who put on an excellent display of death bowling after coming on as an Impact Player against Gujarat Titans (GT), will have to make room.

Punjab Kings (probable): 1 Priyansh Arya, 2 Prabhsimran Singh (wk), 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Azmatullah Omarzai, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Shashank Singh, 8 Suryansh Shedge, 9 Marco Jansen, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal, 12 Vijaykumar Vyshak/Harpreet Brar

Big question

Vyshak's death bowling ensured GT didn't chase down 244 against PBKS. But he is the only player who can make way for an extra spin option. Will PBKS stick with the seamer who kept GT's left-hand batters quiet with his wide yorkers, especially with the prospect of having to bowl to Nicholas Pooran and Rishabh Pant, or will they go with what conditions dictate?

Did you know?

- Only once has a total of 200 been scored in Lucknow across 14 games (by KKR in 2024).

- Shashank Singh has the second highest SR, and highest by an Indian batter, in death overs (16-20) in IPL since 2024.

- Since 2024, nearly 38 percent of Arshdeep Singh's deliveries in the death overs (16-20) have been dot balls.

What they said

"There is a lot of challenge to contend with, not just for spinners but for all bowlers, especially since the impact player rule has been added. Nowadays, there is no pressure on batters and they have started preparing themselves mentally. For bowlers, if they get a big ground, they can use it and it is expected that bowlers will use Ekana in that way." - Shahbaz Ahmad expects a relatively easier life for bowlers in Lucknow.

"From a captaincy viewpoint, he keeps everything calm on the field. The bowlers were raving about it after the first game, how clear he is with his communication, how calm he is when the ball is flying around, when the game gets on the line." - James Hopes is in awe of Shreyas the captain, with whom he's worked before at Delhi Capitals.

LSG vs PBKS Probable Best Performers

Probable Best Batter: Nicholas Pooran

Nicholas Pooran could be the best batter of the match. The Southpaw hasn't just been in fantastic form, but also has the experience of playing two full seasons at the venue. Pooran is the leading run-scorer right now with 145 runs in two innings at a great batting average of 72.50 and an astonishing batting strike rate of 258.92. Once set, stopping him would be difficult for any type of bowlers.

Probable Best Bowler: Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep Singh could be the best bowler of the match. The left-arm pacer has been in good form in different formats. In T20s, he has been taking wickets for fun with the new ball. With the old ball, he has been highly economical. In a high-scoring game against GT, he bowled a great spell and was one of the key reasons behind Punjab Kings' win. On a surface like Lucknow, he might be key for PBKS.

Today's Match Prediction: Team bowling first to win the match

Scenario 1

• Punjab Kings win the toss and bowl
• PP Score - 60 to 70 for the loss of a wicket
• LSG - 175 to 185
• PBKS to win the match

Scenario 2

• Lucknow Super Giants win the toss and bowl
• PP score - 55 to 65 for the loss of two wickets
• PBKS - 170 to 180
• LSG to win the match

Disclaimer: The prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.