Mumbai Indians had to wait impatiently for the outcome of the previous league game after chasing down another 200+ total with relative ease on Sunday (May 21). Royal Challengers Bangalore faced a team that had already secured their place in the opening qualifier; a victory would have eliminated MI. MI thus had every reason to be worried. But by the end of the evening, they had secured a playoff spot.
After the SRH game, captain Rohit Sharma said they only have themselves to blame if they don’t advance. In fact, he was correct. Even though MI finished with 16 points after winning three of their final four games, their inconsistent early play made them dependent on someone else to guarantee their qualification. There is no space for such privileges at this point of the tournament because that is now in the past. They won’t have a chance to win the championship for a sixth time if they lose on Wednesday.
Just one year prior, the Lucknow Super Giants played their maiden season in this city. They were eliminated by RCB the last time, and they will undoubtedly want to advance further in 2023. Given that they lost their captain KL Rahul at a vital moment, it is commendable that they prevailed despite the stiff opposition from other teams. After that, many predicted that their campaign would fail, but Krunal Pandya & Co. succeeded. Given the anticipated circumstances, they will once more fancy their chances. Although LSG had a poor home record, they are a team that is accustomed to playing on sluggish surfaces.
MI, on the other hand, has been winning games this season by hitting well. However, their batting team did perform poorly in the game at Chepauk, and they will need to improve and adjust this time. When these two teams last played one week ago, Marcus Stoinis produced an incredible effort, and Nicholas Pooran excelled in their final league contest. But that top order must contribute for LSG.
When: May 24, 2023, 19:30 IST, LSG vs. MI, elimination round
Where: Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium
What to anticipate The two teams will experience a muggy evening. Even a score of 150 may win the game, given how the par scores at Chepauk decreased in the second half.
Group Overview
Lucknow Super Giants
There is a case to be made for recalling Kyle Mayers in place of Naveen-ul-Haq because LSG is having trouble finding an opening partner for Quinton de Kock. Amit Mishra will be confident in his ability to be deployed as an impact sub on this surface.
Probable XI: Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, K Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur, Kyle Mayers, Quinton de Kock (WK), Prerak Mankad, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya (C), and
Strategies and Matchups: Given his outstanding history against MI’s specialist death bowler Chris Jordan, LSG would dearly love for Stoinis to bat deep once more. Against Jordan, Stoinis scored a staggering 151 runs off just 61 balls. Given the success both Mishra and Bishnoi have had against Rohit, LSG would still fancy their chances against the MI captain if he does manage to get beyond the new ball phase.
Mumbai Indians
The LSG XI’s abundance of left-handers may influence MI to bring Hrithik Shokeen back. The last game’s substitute, Tilak Varma, ought to be included as well.
Ishan Kishan, Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma/Vishnu Vinod, Nehal Wadhera, Chris Jordan, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, and Hrithik Shokeen make up the probable XI.
Strategies and matchups: Suryakumar Yadav and Cameron Green will be MI’s best bet for countering LSG if they decide to field both leggies. Legspinners rarely dismiss the two players, and they also hit the ball close to 140.
Have you heard?
– Suryakumar has a strike rate of over 150 in T20 matches. But at Chepauk, it dips to 127.
– Ishan Kishan has been dismissed six times in 29 deliveries sent to him by Amit Mishra and Ravi Bishnoi combined.