Mumbai in particular were able to get their ducks in a row after a couple of horrid batting performances, but it was thanks in large part to their bowling being clinical and their opponents earlier this week, KKR, completely imploding. MI did then make easy work of a 117-run chase, but it was the sort of performance that will give some confidence to the likes of Ryan Rickelton and Suryakumar Yadav.
MI have chopped and changed a touch so far in this tournament, but their first win might see them try and stick with the gameplan. They might consider the return of another spinner, with the Ekana usually a touch slower and lower than the Wankhede, but they won’t feel the need to tinker too much. Expect Hardik Pandya and company to largely stick with what worked, especially in the bowling department.
However, the standing concern for MI is the ongoing barren run Rohit Sharma is in. He has only faced 21 deliveries so far this season, and that sort of form will mean there’s a microscope on him. MI will likely persist with their former captain, but he is approaching dangerously close to the last chance saloon.
LSG meanwhile come off a pretty heavy loss to Punjab Kings, one which saw their target chased down in just about 16 overs. After an impressive win over SRH, this was a disappointing performance in their home opener, as neither the batting nor the bowling really showed up.
For Lucknow, the biggest question is regarding how to have Rishabh Pant enter the zone and find some form. Mitchell Marsh has fired, Nicholas Pooran has fired, Abdul Samad and Ayush Badoni looked good. But Rishabh Pant is very much the type of player whose performances stitches a team together, and so far, it’s been a miserable start to the tournament.
Could LSG finally experiment with having Pant open? Or could they go the other way and have him play a later role, coming in after Badoni? Pooran has made the number three slot his own, with the orange cap on his head. If they can help Pant find his touch, this LSG team starts to look very dangerous.
On the bowling front, it is another fairly established player who is really struggling, as Ravi Bishnoi fails to repay the faith shown in his abilities so far. Bishnoi hasn’t found any rhythm, and in a team struggling with injuries, he simply must do so as a senior bowler. Expect him to play against MI, but his performances have been extremely poor to the degree that he is certainly on the chopping block.
LSG vs MI predicted XIs
LSG likely XI: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c&wk), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Digvesh Rathi, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan
MI likely XI: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Vignesh Puthur
