MI vs LSG, Eliminator | Can MI Hurt LSG Where It Matters The Most? Match Details, Predicted XIs, Fantasy Tips
LSG vs MI [Image- IPLT20]
The caravan of the 16th Indian Premier League is well and truly at the business end.
On Wednesday, the Lucknow Super Giants [LSG] will lock horns with five-time champions, Mumbai Indians [MI] at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai in the Eliminator fixture.
The loser will go home while the victor will earn the ticket to Ahmedabad for Qualifier 02, where they will square off either against the Chennai Super Kings or defending champs, Gujarat Titans for the right to feature in the summit clash on May 28.
Team Preview
Lucknow Super Giants
Lucknow SuperGiants [Image- IPLT20]
The Lucknow-based franchise recovered well in the second-half of the league stage despite a tournament-ending injury to their skipper KL Rahul to make their way into the playoffs.
In the absence of Rahul, stand-in skipper Krunal Pandya has led his troops brilliantly, winning each of their last three fixtures, including against a power-packed batting-unit like MI.
Quinton de Kock has done well ever since he returned to the playing XI and while Kyle Mayers tapered off at the backend, the southpaw will still be crucial to his sides' fortunes in the playoffs.
But, the major reason why LSG have been able to qualify for the playoffs despite a misfiring top-order are the likes of Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis, who have been absolutely sensational in the middle order.
.jpg)
Both Stoinis (368 runs @ 150.20) and Pooran (358 runs @ 173.78) have struck at a destructive strike rate, while Ayush Badoni too have come into his own in the 2nd half.
As far as the bowling unit is concerned, wrist-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has led the way. In 14 games, the Haryana leggie has taken 16 wickets @ 22.56 apiece, and given that the match is in Chennai, he will again be a force to be reckoned with.
The major issue for LSG this season has been their fast bowling, especially at the death. In their last fixture against MI, Mohsin Khan's brilliant final over saved the day for them, but given that the pacer is not completely fit, the onus will be on Naveen-ul-Haq and Yash Thakur to share the responsibility of handling the likes of Tim David etc.
Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians [Image- IPLT20]
The five-time champions started off their campaign with two demoralising defeats, and given their poor bowling resources, it looked as if they would struggle to make it to the playoffs.
But, their power packed middle-order-led by Suryakumar Yadav, Nehal Wadhera, Tim David on flat decks of Wankhede ensured that they went on to become a serial chasing machine to storm into the playoffs.
In their last league game, allrounder Cameron Green smashed a brutal hundred against SRH to help his team gun down another 200+ total. But, more than that, Rohit Sharma scoring a rare 50 is something that would have given a lot of confidence to their camp.
.jpeg)
Ishan Kishan too has played some decent knocks after a poor first half.
That said, the major issue for MI has been their bowling, especially at the death. Akash Madhwal has proved to be a revelation in the past few games, but he'd need support from the other end.
It will also be interesting to see what kind of pitches that will be served at the Chepauk. MI batters have struggled a lot on slow pitches like the one they got against CSK in their previous outing here.
But since this is a playoff, one can assume that the surface will be a true batting wicket, and if that's the case, then MI would relish their chances.
Match Details
Date and Time: 24 May, 7:30 PM IST
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Live Streaming and Broadcast: Jio Cinema & Star Sports Network
Pitch Report: The surface at the Chepauk proved to be a batting paradise during the 1st half of the 2023 season. However, as the season has progressed, it has slowed down considerably. The average 1st innings score this season is 168, with the team chasing winning on 4 out of 8 instances. However, the pitch used in Q1 was very two-paced, and one can expect the same on Wednesday.
Predicted Playing XIs
Lucknow SuperGiants: Karan Sharma, Quinton de Kock (WK), Prerak Mankad, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya ©, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, K Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma ©, Ishan Kishan, Cam Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Nehal Wadhera, Tim David, Chris Jordan, Piyush Chawla, Jason Behrendorff, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal
Cricket Exchange Fantasy Tips
Wicket-Keeper: Nicholas Pooran, Quinton de Kock, Ishan Kishan
Batters: Suryakumar Yadav, Nehal Wadhera, Tim David
All-Rounders: Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Cameron Green
Bowlers: Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Madhwal
Captain: Suryakumar Yadav
Vice-Captain: Nicholas Pooran
Prediction
Given MI's experience of winning high-pressure games, we reckon they will win the fixture and qualify for Q2.
.jpg "What was that?")
 "Yash Mittal")
