🏏IPL 2023: Match 26 - LSG vs RR on 19/04/2023 at 7:30 PM IST 🏏

🏏IPL 2023: Match 26 - LSG vs RR at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on 19/04/2023 at 7:30 PM IST 🏏

Tag & Logo Credit: Sevenstreaks

On a hot late afternoon in Jaipur, Nicholas Pooran was among the earliest to center-wicket practice. It mustn't have been easy out there, padding up in 37 degrees heat and going all out with the range-hitting. Pooran's fellow colleagues from Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals joined him much later, when the sun went down and the conditions were easier in the middle. But for the security personnel manning the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, the job just got a whole lot more challenging. "Halla Bol", or "raise your voice", no longer remained a team tagline. Everybody wanted a closer shot of their favourite cricketers; the IPL was in town after all.

Jaipur is among the last two cities to hold the tournament this year, and is certainly the home base that's endured the longest wait to welcome its team in this post-lockdown world. Perhaps no one captured the sentiment better than Yuzvendra Chahal who has been around the team for a season and a half now. "Sir ye mera toh debut hai Rajasthan ke liye yahan pe," the legspinner quipped when asked about the home advantage in Jaipur.

For RR, it feels like a good time to come back home too. They are on a three-match winning streak and have just handed defeat to an opponent they just didn't have the measure of last year. And now sitting atop the points table, they meet a side they beat twice in two attempts last season and whom they will be hosting for the very first time in Jaipur. That's how fresh this encounter is going to be.

No team at the moment will perhaps be happier with an away win than LSG, given the fickle conditions back home in Lucknow. Everyone's aware of RR's strong numbers but KL Rahul and Co. would feel they've a chance to catch the hosts unawares at a venue they've taken their time to come back to. After all, what was once a "fortress" has struggled to even capture all of the home games in recent times. So expect Jaipur to make the most of what's on its plate, and if it means a bit of fanfare at the practice session then so be it.

Pitch Report:

The pitch at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur is known for providing assistance to the bowlers. This was the surface, on which Sohail Tanvir recorded the best-ever IPL bowling figure of 6/14 in the inaugural edition. The venue has hosted 47 IPL matches beforehand and no team could breach the 200-run mark. The average first-innings total here is 157 and the chasing team shares a superior winning percentage. The powerful bowling attack of Rajasthan Royals is expected to put on a dominating show as the franchise is returning to the ground for the first time since 2019.

Weather Report:

The weather in Jaipur is expected to be partly cloudy on April 19. There is no chance of rain being a spoilsport during the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants. The wind speed will be around 19-22 km/h during the 20-over clash. The temperature could hover around 25 degrees Celsius to 38 degrees Celsius, while the humidity is anticipated to be around 30 percent.

Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants head-to-head record in IPL. 

Rajasthan Royals lead the head-to-head record in IPL matches against the Lucknow Super Giants by 2-0. LSG joined the IPL last year and battled RR twice during the league stage. RR emerged victorious while defending a target on both occasions.

Teams

Rajasthan Royals

News: It will be interesting to see if RR continue to back Riyan Parag. The 21-year-old has returned scores of 7, 20, 7 and 5 this season.

Tactics & matchups: Nicholas Pooran's average against spin in IPL drops from 42 to 24 when he's facing offspin, and the SR takes a hit by 20 points. R Ashwin would be itching to bowl to the left-handed power-hitter.

Probable XI: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal

Lucknow Super Giants

News: Kyle Mayers continues to keep Quinton de Kock out. Will something give way in Jaipur? Yudhvir Singh Charak had a dream debut in the last game and is likely to keep his place but LSG would also be keen to find a place for Amit Mishra.

Tactics & matchups: In IPL since 2018, Jos Buttler averages a shade under 29 against legspin and has been dismissed nine times to them. In Ravi Bishnoi and/or Amit Mishra, LSG have the personnel to take the RR opener on.

Probable XI: KL Rahul(c), Kyle Mayers/Quinton de Kock, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran(w), Ayush Badoni, Avesh Khan, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Mark Wood, Ravi Bishnoi

Going with my favourites 😆

Where: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

What to expect: Red and pink everywhere in Jaipur except on the square in the middle. There are eight black-soil pitches at the venue and the three of them in the center have been prepared for this IPL season. The match will be played on pitch #4 which, on a closer look, looked dry underneath and a layer of grass has been left to keep the surface together. The only T20I played here threw up middling totals in the 160s and it got harder and harder to bat as the match progressed. R Ashwin had observed how the ball spun more the slower he bowled. There has been consistent dew in the evenings here and the curator expects more of the same during the match too.

The ground, one of the smallest capacity cricket stadiums in India, sports a rather big playing area with roughly 70m boundaries all around. Chahal pointed out how he was looking to bowl here as a spinner.

Did you know?

- In Jaipur, Buttler averages 54.25 and scores his runs at a SR of 143. He has four fifties here with a high score of 95*.

- Marcus Stoinis has gotten the better of Sanju Samson twice in the 12 balls he's bowled to him.

https://twitter.com/ImZaheer/status/1648667040469909506?s=20

What they said

"We have a very strong team and we are placed second. It will be a nice battle against the top-placed RR" - Yudhvir Singh Charak

"It's a big ground, so as a spinner I am very happy here... I, Ashwin and Zampa have played together in the last two games and we have a good bonding among ourselves" - Yuzvendra Chahal.

Thanks for the tag 🤗