(Cricket news) RCB and LSG are probably the two most in-form teams in this year’s IPL, both teams are on 8 points and will look to go top of the table. Both started with a loss, both registered a hat-trick of victories and then lost the subsequent game. For RCB this season Dinesh Karthik has been the star of the show, helping them win two matches single-handedly. As for SuperGiants, their openers KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock have clicked together at the top, easing the burden on the middle order
RCB are heading into the match in red hot form, having won 3 on the bounce. RCB's primary concern will be the top order, with skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli having managed only one fifty-plus score in the 12 innings between them. Du Plessis started off with a wonderful 88 against Punjab Kings, while Kohli hasn’t even hit a fifty in this year's tournament as his highest score is 41 not out off 29 balls. Their strong middle order of Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik and Shabaz Ahmed have masked their problems. In the bowling department Mohammed Siraj has been very expensive and RCB is missing Harshal Patel, especially in the death overs as he may be ready for this crucial encounter, although Josh Hazelwood has brought in some much needed leadership in the bowling front. Wanindu Hasaranga will again be the key against the left-handers in this LSG side.
LSG on the other hand are banking on their top order to score majority of the runs as their middle order has been hot and cold this season. The No.3 spot in particular has been an area of concern for the SuperGiants, with Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, and K Gowtham all getting look-ins but none have made a lasting impression in that crucial position. Another worry for them is that their overseas paceman Dushmantha Chameera has been leaking too many runs. He has gone for 12 or more in an over in two games, and LSG will want him to tighten up. If LSG are to stop Dinesh Karthik from causing havoc then they need to keep hold of Ravi Bishnoi as his strike rate dips to 75 against wrist spin, with the wicketkeeper-batter having managed only 12 off 16 balls against wrist spinners this tournament. Jason Holder holds the key as he has picked up nine wickets in five innings against them at an average of 14.33 and economy rate of 7.58 against RCB.
Pitch and weather report: The DY Patil pitch has been the most unpredictable venue this season but one thing is certain that pacers get a lot of swing early on in the inning. History suggests that chasing is a better option in this venue but the last two matches were won by sides batting first. The temperature is going to hover around 32 degrees with no chance of rain.
Interesting facts:
- KL Rahul, who has scored 501 runs against RCB, averages 83.50 against RCB
- Harshal Patel is yet to pick up a wicket in the death overs. He picked up 21 wickets at the death in the previous season.
- Karthik's first-ten-balls strike rate is 214 which is the best this season
- Avesh Khan has taken five wickets in the powerplay and death overs in IPL 2022.
- Super Giants (8.61) and Royal Challengers (7.86) have the worst and third-worst economy rates in the powerplay in IPL 2022.
- Glenn Maxwell has dismissed Rahul twice in four T20 innings
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Probable XI for RCB:
1 Faf du Plessis (capt), 2 Anuj Rawat, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Suyash Prabhudessai, 6 Shahbaz Ahmed, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Josh Hazlewood.
Probable XI for LSG:
1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Ayush Badoni, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Jason Holder, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Ravi Bishnoi.
