Overview
In a long tournament, momentum plays a key role. And a come-from-behind win would certainly help boost the confidence of players. Ahead of the game against Lucknow Super Giants, Rajasthan Royals, the current table-toppers, would believe they have the required momentum after charting a memorable three-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
The key point that seems to be working for Rajasthan is staying in the moment and concentrating on one-ball events. Just take into consideration how Sanju Samson smacked one of the finest bowlers in T20 cricket – Rashid Khan – for three successive sixes. After the game, the director and head coach of the franchise – Kumar Sangakkara – aptly observed: “Play the ball, not the man.” Shimron Hetmyer too showed great maturity by playing himself in before taking the aggressive route in that game.
In the bowling department, Trent Boult had an off day against Gujarat, but he has the experience and skills to bounce back. Meanwhile, Sandeep Sharma once again showcased his temperament by holding his nerve after David Miller had tonked him for two boundaries in a row in the last over. Rajasthan’s main strength has been the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin. The spin pair also complement each other well. Chahal looks to tempt the batters to their downfall, while Ashwin keeps things tight at the other end and picks up a few wickets himself.
Their opponent – Lucknow – have had an up-and-down tournament so far. Nicholas Pooran, Kyle Mayers and Marcus Stonis have played impactful knocks. KL Rahul did score a fifty in the last game, although question marks remain over his strike-rate. On the other hand, Mark Wood and Ravi Bishnoi have led the bowling unit with 11 and eight wickets. The promising Yudhvir Singh Charak showed potential in the previous game by hitting the deck hard and getting a couple of scalps. With Mohsin Khan also all set to join the training sessions, Lucknow have a battery of hit-the-deck pacers in their set-up, something that could turn out to be a plus point in their remaining games.
Time and Venue
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. 7.30 PM
Expected conditions and toss
The stadium in Jaipur will host its first IPL match since 2019. The average first innings score in the IPL at the ground is 158. The weather forecast indicates that the humidity would 23 per cent, so there might not be a lot of dew. However, the team winning the toss looks set to bowl again.
Head-to-head record
Rajasthan have won both the two matches played between the two sides.
Possible XIs and Impact Player Watch
Devdutt Padikkal, their left-hand batter, could again turn out to be Rajasthan’s impact player while Lucknow might put their faith in Ayush Badoni or the experienced K Gowtham, depending on the game situation.
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (C, WK), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (C), Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, N Pooran (WK), Marcus Stoinis, K Gowtham, Yudhvir Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mark Wood.