In the second match of the doubleheader Saturday, the match between Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders will be played from 7:30 pm. The match will be held at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium (MCA), Pune. This is the must winning match for KKR to remain in the race for playoffs.
LSG has played 10 matches and won 7 matches. On the other hand, KKR has also played only 10 matches and has won 4 matches. The net run-rate of Lucknow is +0.397 and that of Kolkata is +0.060.
Lucknow on the way to the playoffs
Super Giants defeated Delhi’s strong team by 6 runs in the last match. Lucknow seems to be the most balanced team of the season. Fast bowlers like Mohsin Khan and Avesh Khan are consistently taking wickets on the strength of pace.
Ravi Bishnoi’s leg-spin has also been economical. Under the captaincy of KL Rahul, this team has been continuously in the race for the playoffs, and today’s win will almost confirm their ticket.
Marcus Stoinis and Ayush Badoni not scoring runs is a problem for the team. At present, other batsmen are scoring runs, so the performance of these players is not being noticed. However, his failure in the upcoming big matches could cost the team a lot.
Kolkata must win every match
Kolkata Knight Riders were constantly battling with the ruckus of defeat. However, by defeating a strong Rajasthan team in the last match, they kept their hopes of reaching the playoff alive. For Kolkata, not being able to perform at the top order has been a problem throughout the tournament.
Aaron Finch and Venkatesh Iyer flopped badly as the opening pair. The result was that Venkatesh had to show the way out of the team as well.
Pat Cummins, who led Kolkata to an incredible victory with the fastest half-century of the season, has proved to be costly in the bowling and he is also unable to find a place in the playing XI. However, Russell is making a big contribution to the team with both bat and ball. Kolkata will also expect an all-around performance from their star all-rounder Sunil Narine today.
Probable XI
LSG Probable XI: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Ayush Badoni, Jason Holder, Dushmatha Chameera, Avesh Khan/K Gowtham, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi
KKR Probable XI: Baba Indrajith, Aaron Finch, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Shivam Mavi
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