🏏IPL 2023: Match 45 - LSG vs CSK on 03/05/2023 at 3:30 PM IST 🏏

🏏IPL 2023: Match 45 - LSG vs CSK at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on 03/05/2023 at 3:30 PM IST 🏏

Tag & Logo Credit: Sevenstreaks

LSG have Rahul's injury to deal with as they look to extend CSK's losing streak

Rahul's absence could mean an overhaul of the LSG line-up, unless they opt for a short-term fix and get Badoni, Hooda, Vohra or Mankad to open.

When Lucknow Super Giants lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday night, Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir and Naveen-ul-Haq picked up big fines. But, more crucially for LSG, KL Rahul injured his hip flexor while fielding and walked off in the second over of the match.

LSG will want to quickly put all of that behind them as they come up against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday. This is the same team that smashed 257 in Mohali less than a week ago, but on Monday, their batting looked toothless, with most of their batters getting out trying to attack on a slow surface at the Ekana Stadium.

Rahul's injury status is not clear yet. He did come out to bat at No. 11 against RCB but was unable to run between the wickets. If he is, indeed, ruled out of the match, will Quinton de Kock finally get a chance? If they do want to get de Kock in, then one of their options is to bench Naveen-ul-Haq and bring in Avesh Khan. But that makes it an all-Indian bowling attack. They could also make Ayush Badoni play up the order. Or even Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Manan Vohra or Prerak Mankad. Options aplenty there.

CSK are coming off back-to-back losses, which have taken them from No. 1 on the points table to No. 4, but the Lucknow pitch might work for them. The surfaces have been slow and have aided turn, and though this one is likely to be played on a red-soil strip, CSK have quality in their line-up.

LSG lost to CSK in a high-scoring contest in Chennai the last time these sides met this season.

Lucknow Super Giants vs Chennai Super Kings Pitch Report

A sluggish track awaits both the teams as the pitch at the Ekana Cricket Stadium is a difficult surface to bat on. The run scoring at this venue is not easy and the batters need to focus more on rotating the strike. The spinners will play a vital role in deciding the outcome of the game.

Lucknow Super Giants vs Chennai Super Kings Weather Forecast

The temperature in Lucknow on Wednesday is expected to range between 21 and 27 degrees Celsius with around 24% chances of rain during the game.

Pitch and conditions

A red-soil pitch, instead of the black-soil surface for the RCB game, is expected to be used at the Ekana Stadium, which will mean more bounce on offer. Despite expected cloud cover in the afternoon, there is no forecast of rain. The average first-innings score at the venue this season has been 147.

Team news 

Unadkat ruled out, question marks over Rahul

Super Giants' left-arm quick Jaydev Unadkat has been ruled out of the remainder of IPL because of a left-shoulder injury, which he picked up while training in the nets on Sunday*.

Krunal Pandya captained Super Giants after Rahul left the field on Monday, and might have to do it again if Rahul misses this game. Mark Wood is expected to be available for their next two games before flying home for the birth of his daughter, and LSG would be tempted to give him a go if a red-soil pitch is in use.

Form guide - (last five matches, most recent first)

Super Giants LWLWL 

Super Kings LLWWW

Impact Player strategy

Lucknow Super Giants

Super Giants will be forced to make changes if Rahul is unavailable, and de Kock could finally get a game, but it would mean many changes to their make-up. The likelier option is, perhaps, to get an Indian batter to fill in.

Probable XII 1 Kyle Mayers, 2 Manan Vohra/Prerak Mankad, 3 Ayush Badoni, 4 Deepak Hooda, 5 Krunal Pandya (capt), 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 8 K Gowtham, 9 Avesh Khan/Yash Thakur, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Amit Mishra, 12 Naveen-ul-Haq/Mark Wood.

Chennai Super Kings

Mitchell Santner had been performing well but was dropped once Maheesh Theekshana became available. Theekshana has taken just five wickets in six innings at an economy of 8.4 this season and he hasn't taken a single wicket in nine overs in the powerplay. CSK could be tempted to bring Santner back, given he's also a gun fielder and can contribute with the bat.

Probable XII: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 Ambati Rayudu, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 9 Matheesha Pathirana, 10 Tushar Deshpande, 11 Maheesh Theekshana/Mitchell Santner, 12 Akash Singh

While the heated exchange between Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli turned the limelight away from the game itself, the fact remains that Lucknow Super Giants have been a disappointing side at their home ground. Having failed to get over the line in a low-scoring game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Super Giants suffered their third loss at home on the trot and will have their work cut out when Chennai Super Kings, known for their acumen on tracks that have been on the slower side, come visiting.

In the past two matches at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, LSG have failed to chase down targets of 136 and 127, with their overseas contingent especially having struggled here. Apart from the 38-ball 73 scored by Kyle Mayers in the opening game against Delhi Capitals, there hasn't been much to speak about in terms of contributions from the foreign players who have not been able to adapt to the pitches here. Even the Indian batters, barring KL Rahul, have not made much of an impact, which leaves the team still searching for answers with two home games remaining.

Meanwhile, the Super Kings will feel more at home in Lucknow with a bowling attack capable of sucking all the momentum out of the opposition's innings. While they need to improve in the powerplay and the death, the middle overs are CSK's favourite period of play and they would certainly enjoy such a wicket compared to what they got back at home in Chepauk as spin, going against expectations, did not play a major role in most of their matches. With a batting department that has been working smoothly, and having bowlers who can get the best out of sluggish pitches, CSK will be entering the game as favourites, more so with Rahul being an unlikely starter after picking up a hip-flexor injury in the last game.

What to expect: Another low-scoring game. In the previous afternoon game at this venue, the Titans defended 135 despite LSG having scored more than 100 in the first 14 overs. Teams batting first have won three of the five matches played here. But thunderstorms have been forecast during the match time, which could lead to a curtailed game. Hence, bat or bowl will be a vexing issue for the captain winning the toss.

Head to head: The two teams have a 1-1 record in their face-offs so far. LSG chased down a target of 211 in their first meeting in 2022 while CSK defended 217 at Chepauk this year, keeping LSG to 205.

Tactics & match-ups: Amit Mishra and Krunal Pandya could be effective against both Ajinkya Rahane and Ambati Rayudu. Mishra has dismissed Rahane and Rayudu three times apiece while Krunal has dismissed these two twice each, and the two CSK batters have a strike rate of under 120 against the two spinners.

Probable XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Amit Mishra. Impact sub - Yash Thakur.

Chennai Super Kings

It is still unclear if Ben Stokes, who has been recovering from an injury, is fit for the game. CSK, who have been unchanged for the past few games, might stick to the same combination.

Tactics & match-ups: Nicholas Pooran averages 22.8 and has a strike rate of 117.53 against spinners who turn the ball away from him. Moeen Ali and Maheesh Theekshana make effective match-ups against the West Indian left-hander. CSK could also use the two spinners against de Kock (if he plays), as the South African averages only 20.33 and has a strike rate of 102.09 against away turners. Pooran, meanwhile, has scored 42 runs off 20 deliveries against Jadeja and CSK will look to avoid using his left-arm spin when the batter is around.

Probable XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana. Impact sub - Akash Singh.

Did you know?

- Among those with a minimum of 500 runs in the IPL, Devon Conway has the best average (51.23). He has struck 666 runs in 16 matches, with eight half-centuries. Five of those fifties have come in his last six appearances.

- The average first innings score in Lucknow is 151 while it dips to 126 in the second innings. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who represents Maharashtra in domestic cricket, has scored two fifties in three outings at this venue and has a SR of 148.30.

What they said

"He doesn't always look that good on the eye and other times he looks exquisite. He is just a player who gets the job done. He's found a good method. Spin, there was a little bit of a question mark. There always is when an overseas player comes to the subcontinent for the first time. But I think he's got a game that actually plays very well against spin. He has a good strike rate and he can access the boundary and over the boundary. So we are really happy with Devon's contributions." Stephen Fleming, CSK head coach, on Devon