LSG look to halt Mumbai’s momentum in crucial clash

Lucknow: Mumbai Indians are on a roll in the business end of the tournament and Lucknow Super Giants will be aiming to halt their momentum on a tricky pitch in the IPL here on Tuesday.

Mumbai Indians are third on the points table with 14 points and with a point less from same the number of games, LSG are holding on to the fourth spot.

Both teams will be looking to get out of the danger zone as eight teams remain in the play-off contention. Suryakumar Yadav is back to his breathtaking best and played a huge role in Mumbai’s wins in the previous two games. Short of runs in the tournament, Rohit Sharma too found some rhythm against Gujarat Giants and will be looking to play a substantial knock at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cricket Stadium.

Suryakumar Yadav is back to his stunning best, and his contribution to Mumbai’s victories in the past two games was significant.

Rohit Sharma, who has struggled for runs throughout the competition, found some consistency against Gujarat Giants and will be aiming to play a big game at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cricket Stadium.

Mumbai has a capable substitute for Tilka Varma in Nehal Wadehra, who appears to get stronger with each chance she has on the big stage.

On the bowling front, newcomer Akash Badhwal has given the speed attack a much-needed lift while veteran spinner Piyush Chawla continues to make life difficult for the hitters.

With Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer’s substitute, leaking runs in the last two games, death bowling is still a problem.

The spinners on either side could determine the outcome of this game, which is predicted to be another low-scoring contest.

The most successful wicket-taker for LSG has been the leggie Ravi Bishnoi, and interim captain Krunal Pandya also demonstrated his left-arm spin capabilities against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Given the circumstances, it is also anticipated that veteran spinner Amit Mishra will participate. Avesh Khan in particular, who has an economy rate of 9.75 after nine games, has shown the pacers to be a little on the pricey side.

Despite K.L. Rahul’s injury, the batting appears menacing. As Rahul’s replacement at the top, Quinton de Kock has already had an impact, and Kyle Mayers is LSG’s leading scorer so far this season.

Then there have players who, like Nicholas Pooran against the Sunrisers, can salvage a game even in the most dismal of circumstances.

Prerak Mankad, a batter for Saurasthra, demonstrated his potential when batting third in the previous game and will enter Tuesday night’s game with more assurance.

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (captain), Chris Jordan, Arshad Khan, Jason Behrendorff, Ishan Kishan (wk), Duan Jansen, Chris Jordan, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Dewald Brevis, Piyush Chawla, Tim David, Raghav Goyal, Cameron Green,  Riley Meredith, Shams Mulani, Ramandeep Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Arjun Tendulkar, Tilak Varma, Vishnu Vinod, Hrithik Shokeen, Tristan Stubbs, Nehal Wadhera, Suryakumar Yadav.

Squads: Lucknow Super Giants: Krunal Pandya (captain), Kyle Mayers, Naveen ul Haq, Ayush Badoni, Avesh Khan, Karan Sharma, Deepak Hooda, Amit Mishra, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Yudhvir Charak, Yash Thakur, Romario Shepherd, Daniel Sams, Prerak Mankad, Krishnappa Gowtham, Mark Wood, Swapnil Singh, Manan Vohra, Marcus Stoinis, Ravi Bishnoi, Karun Nair and Mayank Yadav.