IPL 2023, LSG vs RCB: Du Plessis elects to bat
Lucknow Super Giants will meet Royal Challengers Bangalore in Match 43 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) in Lucknow. This will be a reverse fixture of Match 15 which LSG won by one wicket. LSG dominated the initial half of the season, winning five of their eight games. RCB skipper Faf du Plessis has won the toss and elected to bat.
Here are the two teams
Royal Challengers Bangalore (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (captain), Anuj Rawat, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Suyash Prabhudessai, Wanindu Hasaranga, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood. Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): KL Rahul (captain), Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran (wicket-keeper), Krishnappa Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Amit Mishra, Yash Thakur.
Pitch report, timing, and streaming details
The BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium will host the clash on May 1, 7:30pm onward. The track here is conducive for run-scoring as the ball tends to come onto the bat nicely. The pacers will also get some help from the strip. A high-scoring clash is on the cards. Star Sports will telecast the match, fans can also live-stream it on JioCinema for free.
A look at the head-to-head record
As LSG made their debut only last season, they have featured only thrice against RCB. While Faf du Plessis's men defeated the Super Giants both times last year, they thrillingly lost the contest earlier this season. Stoinis and Pooran's blistering fifties helped LSG chase down 213 on the very last ball. RCB would be raring to make amends this time around.
Who are the key performers?
With 14 wickets in eight games, Siraj is the joint-leading wicket-taker this season (ER: 7.28). Du Plessis holds the Orange Cap, having clobbered 422 runs at a strike rate of 167.46. Mayers has been sensational at the top, smoking 297 runs at a strike rate of 160.54. Naveen-ul-Haq has four wickets in three games at an economy rate of 5.66.
