RCB vs LSG IPL Match Preview : Battle of the Best

 RCB vs LSG IPL Match Preview 

(Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Lucknow Super Giants)

Match Preview

RCB - The first two games of RCB can be described as one where they were in control and the other where they were not. If the first batsmen get out early, then the rest of the team might struggle to score runs. Kohli and du Plessis will start the batting for RCB, and Kohli is a very good player to watch out for. Bracewell played in the second game and scored 19 runs. It might be better for RCB to send him to bat at number 5. Anuj Rawat might play at number three, and Dinesh Karthik is important for RCB to win the game if the top-order players don't perform well. RCB's bowling is not very strong. David Willey will bowl for RCB, and Hasaranga might join the team soon, but it is not confirmed. He was the second-highest wicket-taker in the last IPL.

LSG - KL Rahul will be playing in Bengaluru as an opposition player for the third time ever and the first time in four IPL seasons. He excited to play against his old team and has never won a match as a visitor at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. He has done very well against them in the past, scoring 610 runs in 13 games with a high strike rate. LSG is unsure about how to use Quinton de Kock, but Kyle Myers is doing well and will probably stay in the team. Krunal Pandya played a great game in the last match and will be eager to do well against RCB. Nicholas Pooran is also in good form. His chances of winning might depend on how well he manages his overseas players, especially with Quinton de Kock now available and Kyle Mayers performing well.

LSG won their last game even without Mark Wood and Avesh Khan, who will be back for the match against RCB. Wood is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, and Bishnoi and Mishra have also been bowling well. RCB had a hard time against KKR's spin attack, so it will be interesting to see how LSG's spinners do against them. 

Venue 

The pitch at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore is a brilliant one to bat on, with the Royal Challengers Bangalore chasing down 171 with relative ease in the previous game. While pacers will hold the key, spinners should also play a major role at the venue. Dew is expected to play a part while the dimensions of the ground also favor the batters, enticing teams to prefer chasing upon winning the toss.

Favours : 

Spinners In the later stages of the game, the pitch at M Chinnaswamy Stadium tends to help spinners as it wears out quickly. Spinners can get a lot of turns and bounce, making it hard for batsmen to score runs. But in the early overs of the game, the pitch can be good for batsmen as the ball comes onto the bat easily.

Post TOSS

• The team winning the toss at this venue should opt to bowl first.
• Out of 16 T20Is played at this venue, the team batting second has won 9 times, while the team batting first has won 6 times.
• In the last 8 IPL games played at this venue, 6 games have been won by the team batting second.

Average 1st Inning score 

Average 1st Inning score : 176  

Team News

Royal Challengers Bangalore were waiting for Wanindu Hasaranga to join them today , April 10. Hasaranga played three T20I matches in New Zealand, where he took two wickets for 93 runs in 11 overs. If he starts playing, he could ease the burden on their bowlers at the end of the innings because his wickets in the middle overs could mean that the seamers have to deal with weaker batters. Josh Hazlewood will be unavailable for a longer time and might play in the game on April 17 against Super Kings. Wayne Parnell has replaced Reece Topley, who got injured.

Mahipal Lomror is likely to replace Anuj Rawat for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Quinton de Kock is available for selection while Mark Wood is expected to return to playing eleven but Avesh Khan remains a doubt for Lucknow Super Giants. Royal Challengers Bangalore are likely to add Mahipal Lomror in Anuj Rawat's place.

Head to Head

RCB - 2
LSG – 0

TEAM	Last 5 matches
LSG	L	W	L	W	W
RCB	W	L	W	L	W

Expected Playing XI - Batting Order

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Possible Playing 11

1 Virat Kohli, 2 Faf du Plessis (C), 3 Suyash Prabhudessai, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Shahbaz Ahmed, 6 Dinesh Karthik (Wk), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga/Michael Bracewell, 8 David Willey, 9 Karn Sharma, 10 Akash Deep, 11 Mohammed Siraj

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Possible Playing 11

1 KL Rahul (C), 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Quinton de Kock (Wk), 4 Deepak Hooda, 5 Krunal Pandya, 6 Nicholas Pooran, 7 Ayush Badoni, 8 Romario Shepherd/Mark Wood, 9 Yash Thakur, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Jaydev Unadkat

Stats Fact

• Royal Challengers Bangalore has the worst economy rate (11) in the final five overs of innings since IPL 2022. This is because their options for bowling in this stage of the game have not performed well.
• K L Rahul boasts an impressive record of three fifties and one hundred in 12 innings against RCB. However, RCB has managed to pick up five wickets and maintain an economy rate of 6.33 in the Powerplay phase this season

• Mohammed Siraj has the worst economy rate (13.4) among everyone who has bowled at least ten overs in the death since the last IPL.

• Harshal Patel, who is close to achieving 100 IPL wickets, has struggled with conceding runs in the last overs of the game

• Avesh Khan has performed the best against Kohli, dismissing him twice and conceding only 5 runs off ten balls. However, it's not certain whether Avesh will be able to play.

• Krunal Pandya scored 79 runs off 80 balls with one dismissal, while Jaydev Unadkat scored 52 runs off 46 balls and Ravi Bishnoi scored 23 runs off 23 balls.

• Maxwell (66 runs off 35 balls) vs Mishra (5 wickets) will be exciting. Maxwell struggles against left-arm spin in IPL, averaging 22.9 against it (minimum 200 balls faced). Krunal should take note.

• Faf du Plessis' powerplay batting has improved this season, with a strike rate of 158 from two matches compared to his 2022 strike rate of 105, when he was dismissed seven times in 16 innings.

Selections for Fantasy games ( Dream 11)

The above image is just for guidance. Select Captain and Vice Captain of your choice.

• Faf du Plessis -  RCB's captain, is a player to watch in the next game. He has scored 96 runs in two matches with an average of 49 and a strike rate of 174.54. It's worth noting that he has previously faced LSG twice and scored 96 runs with an average of 48 and a strike rate of 147.69. In the last match against KKR, he made the highest score of 23 runs in 12 balls among RCB batters. He scored 73 runs off 43 balls in the first match against Mumbai Indians

• KL Rahul - KL Rahul, the LSG captain, scored the highest 35 runs off 31 balls in the match against SRH. He made 8 runs against DC and 20 runs against CSK. Although his poor form in international cricket has affected his IPL performance, he may regain his form at his home ground M Chinnaswamy, where he played for Karnataka and RCB in the past. He has an impressive record against RCB, having scored 610 runs in 12 innings with an average of 76.25 and a strike rate of 147.69, including a century.

• Quinton de Kock - Quinton de Kock, the South African superstar, is yet to play in IPL 2023, but that is likely to change on Monday. He recently scored 100 runs off 44 balls in the second T20I against West Indies, hitting nine fours and eight sixes. De Kock has a fantastic record against RCB, scoring 371 runs in 11 innings with an average of 33.72 and a strike rate of 142.14.

• Glenn Maxwell  - In IPL 2023, Glenn Maxwell has yet to make a significant impact, scoring 12 unbeaten runs in the first match against MI and just 5 runs in the second. However, during the pre-season inter-squad match, he scored 78 unbeaten runs (including six sixes) off 46 balls at the Chinnaswamy, indicating that the upcoming match could be his time to shine.

• Mark Wood - Mark Wood, the ace pacer, has been in tremendous form, having taken eight wickets in the two matches he has played. He currently holds the IPL Purple Cap. After being infected with flu, he will be making a comeback and will be eager to play at Chinnaswamy. 

Predictions 

Lucknow Super Giants may win the match.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are set to face each other in an IPL match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. RCB has won one out of two games played so far, while LSG has won two out of three games played. Both teams have key players who can influence the game's outcome. RCB's top-order batting line-up, consisting of Kohli and du Plessis, will be critical, and the team will be strengthened with the inclusion of Hasaranga, who is expected to join the team soon. LSG, on the other hand, has a strong bowling line-up with Wood, Bishnoi, and Mishra. However, the team might face a selection dilemma with the availability of overseas players like de Kock and Mayers. The pitch at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium is conducive to batting, and spinners might play a crucial role as the game progresses. The team winning the toss is expected to bowl first, and the team batting second has had a better record in recent games played at the venue.