IPL 2024: Can MI turn around their fortunes versus LSG?
Mumbai Indians would be desperate for a win as they meet Lucknow Super Giants in Match 48 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). Having won just three of their nine games, MI need a series of victories to stay alive in the playoff race. LSG, meanwhile, have five wins in nine outings. Here we look at the match preview.
Pitch report, conditions, and streaming details
Lucknow's Ekana Cricket Stadium will host this duel on April 30 (7:30pm IST). This venue is known for its slow tracks. While the seamers cash in on the red-soil pitches, the black-soil decks support spinners. Notably, the latter makes the run-scoring difficult. Star Sports will telecast the match, and fans can also live-stream it on JioCinema for free.
A look at the H2H record
LSG made their IPL debut in 2022 and have faced the five-time champions MI only four times. The head-to-head record is 3-1 in LSG's favor as they have dominated the Mumbai-based team. Meanwhile, LSG have three wins and a couple of defeats at home this season. MI have just a solitary win in five away matches in IPL 2024.
MI must overcome their bowling issues
Though most of the MI batters have been among runs, Jasprit Bumrah has hardly received any support in the bowling department. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan have been guilty of throwing away starts. LSG, meanwhile, have used their resources well. However, they have also been troubled by their bowlers in recent games. Mayank Yadav's absence has hurt them.
Here are the probable XIs
LSG (Probable XI): Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul (c & wk), Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Matt Henry, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur. Impact sub: Amit Mishra. MI (Probable XI): Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Mohammad Nabi, Gerald Coetzee, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah. Impact sub: Nuwan Thushara.
A look at the key performers
With 14 scalps at an economy of 6.64, Bumrah is the joint-leading wicket-taker in IPL 2024. Tilak Varma is MI's highest run-getter this season with 336 runs at a strike rate of 158.49 (50s: 3). KL Rahul leads the run tally for LSG with 378 runs at an impressive strike rate of 144.27. Krunal Pandya has an economy rate of 7.2 this year.
