🏏IPL 2024: Match 54: Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders🏏

🏏IPL 2024: Match 54: Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders🏏

[Logo Credit: Wildestdreams]

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will be up against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in match number 54 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Ekana Sports City Stadium in Lucknow this evening. It is a clash between two teams in the top three of the IPL 2024 points table which suggests this could be a thrilling affair. While KKR are sitting at the second spot with 7 wins and 3 defeats from 10 matches, LSG finds themselves in the third place with 12 points from 10 matches.

There is very little to separate the two teams at the moment. Google's win predictor also reckons the same, giving KKR a 54% chance compared to LSG at 46%. Essentially, this could be anybody's game.

KKR might be in better form (marginally) in this season but with LSG having a better head-to-head record and the match being played at their home, where the two teams haven't yet played a game, LSG will be in serious contention too.

This could be another nail-biting game in IPL 2024.

The LSG vs KKR match will be played at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. The wicket here hasn't been like the other venues which have mostly been on the high-scoring end.

While there was a bit of bounce and pace on the wicket in the initial matches this season, lately it has been on the slower side with spinners coming into play.

Batting hasn't been as easy as on some of the other surfaces and with both sides having some good batters and spinning options, this promises to be an exciting encounter.

[Tag Credit: Sutapasima]

LSG vs KKR Pitch Report

Lucknow so far has produced different surfaces. The pitch during LSG’s fixture against RR was batting-friendly, the one laid out against MI was on the slower side. Given that KKR has a strong spin attack, it would be interesting to see what is in store for both teams.

What to expect: The previous fixture gave bowlers a respite as the centre-wicket was chosen to deny batters the advantage of one shorter side. Runs will flow or not on Sunday depending on which pitch they pick for it. The big ground dimensions has made six-hitting tougher than other venues, but KKR could come to challenge that.

Head to Head: LSG 3 - 1 KKR. This will be the first game between these two sides in Lucknow.

Kolkata Knight Riders will have strutted into town for their first-ever IPL game in Lucknow. Short-turn around time in IPL can be daunting, but not for a side that is coming off its first win at the hallowed Wankhede since 2012.

Granted Mumbai Indians are in quite a mess this year, but Shreyas Iyer's side recovered commedbly well from a top-order collapse through a fantastic bowling effort.

The win opened up a crucial two-point gap between them and their opponents for Sunday evening, as the season hurtles towards the business end.

It's the same gap LSG will hope to gain over the chasing pack, even if they have one more in the games played column.

They had a three-game winning run early in the season but since then it has been two steps forward, one back for Rahul's side.

The losses haven't derailed their season, but another one could throw them into the mid-table dogfight. They'll hope to stay away from it by capping off the Lucknow leg of the season with a fifth win in seven games.

Team Watch:

Lucknow Super Giants

Injuries/Availability: Mayank Yadav suffered another setback in LSG's game against MI and is unlikely to feature again this year.

Tactics & Matchups: Phil Salt's highest score this season - a devastating 89 off 47 - came against LSG in the reverse fixture. But the KKR opener has been ordinary away from home (53 runs in 4 innings). In that game, he had the measure of both Mohsin Khan and Yash Thakur, so LSG might need a different route. Mohsin, however, could be the way to getting rid of Sunil Narine early. The KKR opener has been dismissed thrice by left-arm quicks this season, scoring 61 off 46 balls. Ekana stadium's big square boundaries should aid the hosts in luring Narine into playing a false shot.

Probable XI: KL Rahul (C, wk), Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Ashton Turner, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur [Impact substitute: Arshin Kulkarni]

Kolkata Knight Riders

Injuries/Availability: Harshit Rana served his one-match ban in KKR's game against MI and should slot right back into the XI.

Tactics & Matchups: Narine and Varun Chakravarthy come into this game having conceded just 44 runs for 4 wickets in eight overs combined (2 for 22 each) just a day ago. Both have a favourable match-up against two of LSG's biggest match-winners in Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran. Stoinis has been dismissed six times by spin this season, including once by Chakravarthy in the home game. Andre Russell, who had to bowl his entire quota of overs against MI, has also been effective against the LSG pair.

Should LSG bring back Quinton de Kock after benching him in the previous fixture, KKR will unleash Mitchell Starc on him. The Aussie is coming fresh off a four-wicket haul and is the kind of bowler - left-arm pacer - that has troubled the South African batter all season (6 dismissals).

Probable XI: Philip Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Shreyas Iyer (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy [Impact substitute: Angkrish Raghuvanshi/Manish Pandey]

Did you know?

- KL Rahul has six 50-plus scores in 14 innings against KKR, scoring runs at a strike rate of 138.41 against the two-time champions

- Together, Narine and Varun have 26 wickets in 77 overs across 10 matches, conceding at just 7.65

Sanju Samson beyond the sixes

One line of Sanju Samson on his Instagram wall told a thousand tales. Hours after the selectors picked him, he posted a greyscale photograph of himself staring into the distance, his eyes still and solemn, and beneath it wrote: “Viyarppu thunniyitta kuppayam”. Literally translated as a shirt spun with sweat. The inference is as clear as sun-light, and situationally apt, that he had to shed considerable sweat to earn his place in the side.

Raji, please check the tags and if I forgot anyone please tag them. Any one please...I am busy somewhere.

Looking forward to this match

Lucknow!!!

Word Count: 1