Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) as Sanju Samson-led side won the toss and elected to bat first in their IPL clash on Sunday (May 15).
“I wanted to bowl first. Looks like a nice wicket. You don't want to run away from it, you want to learn from mistakes like that. We need to turn up every game, we had that chat and everyone agreed that a game like that can happen. Karan Sharma misses out, Ravi Bishnoi comes back in,” LSG skipper KL Rahul said before the match.
“We want to have a bat. That's been our strenght throughout the tournament. Couple of changes - Neesham and McCoy come in for Rassie and Sen. Feel that's the best combination for this game. It's important to keep a balanced state of mind,” RR captain Sanju Samson after winning the toss.
Meanwhile, LSG were upstaged from top of the points table by Gujarat Titans (GT) in their previous outing. The KL Rahul-led side, which is now at second spot with 16 points, would not want to lose another game just before the start of the knockout round.
The Royals would also look to make amends for their all-round failure in their comprehensive eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Delhi Capitals in their last match.
With 16 points from 12 matches, a win for LSG will confirm their play-offs berth. For the Royals too, a victory will take them on the verge of securing a last-four stage spot.
Pitch Report
"It's an absolute belter. It has got plenty of grass, it's really hard. The outfield is lightning quick and both of these teams have to take advantage of this wicket. 180-190 is probably not going to be enough. On this wicket, the pacers will have a bit of carry, but it's an excellent wicket for batting," Matthew Hayden analyses the pitch.
Lucknow Super Giants Playing XI: Quinton de Kock(w), KL Rahul(c), Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Jason Holder, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Avesh Khan.
Rajasthan Royals Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, James Neesham, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Obed McCoy.
