Giants vs Kings ‘Super clash’ on the cards at Ekana
After back-to-back losses, the boys will be looking to bounce back in style when we host reigning champions Chennai Super Kings at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium on Friday. The LSG vs CSK fixture begins at 7:30 PM IST.
Considering we’ll be facing CSK again in Chennai next Tuesday, a win in the contest may prove vital to our playoff ambitions in the IPL 2024. We do need the points and a win on Friday will also mean we’ll head to Chepauk with the momentum on our side.
A victory will also bring us level on points with five-time champions CSK, who are currently third on the IPL 2024 points table with eight points from six games. We have two less from as many matches and are fifth.
Our latest speed sensation Mayank Yadav is also back bowling in the nets after missing the last two games with injury and the pacer’s return will be a huge boost for the team ahead of the CSK clash.
In Ravi Bishnoi, the in-form Yash Thakur, Mohsin Khan and Naveen Ul-Haq, we also have a well-rounded bowling battery capable of troubling any batting line-up in the IPL. Yash, with seven wickets in five outings, is our top wicket taker this season.
Nicky P, with 223 runs in six matches, has been the pick of our batters this season, closely followed by kaptaan KL Rahul, who has 204. Ayush Badoni hitting form in the last two games will also add considerably to the depth of our batting line-up, which also includes the likes of Marcus Stoinis and Quinton de Kock.
KL, who will be playing the match one day after celebrating his 32nd birthday, boasts of a stellar record against CSK, having already scored 455 runs at an average of 41.4 against them in 12 IPL matches.
News from CSK camp
The CSK pace duo of Matheesha Pathirana and Mustafizur Rahman will pose the biggest threat to our batters. Rahman, with 10 wickets in five matches, is in the running for the Purple Cap while Pathirana is enjoying a brilliant campaign, having already accumulated eight scalps from just three matches.
CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube have been the Yellow Brigade’s standout batters in IPL 2024 and the onus will be on our bowlers to send both back early. MS Dhoni’s finishing prowess in the death overs will also be a factor we will need to counter to come away with a positive result from the match.
As opposed to us, CSK come into the match on the back of consecutive victories.
LSG vs CSK history
There’s nothing separating us from CSK as far as head-to-head record is concerned. We won our first meeting against the Super Kings in IPL 2022 by six wickets but lost to them by 12 runs at Chepauk last season. The reverse fixture at the Ekana, however, was washed out.
Interestingly, both matches which had a result saw both teams register scores of 200 plus in each innings. So, fans at the Ekana can expect a high-scoring affair this Friday.
Stats that matter
- Nicholas Pooran is seven runs away from 1500 runs in IPL.
- KL Rahul is 60 runs away from 5000 runs in India in T20s.
- KL Rahul is 45 runs away from 500 runs against CSK in IPL.
- Ravi Bishnoi is three wickets away from 100 wickets in India in T20s.
How to watch LSG vs CSK live
Venue: BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
Match start time: April 19, 7:30 PM IST
Streaming: Jio Cinema
TV channel: Star Sports Network
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