The spotlight will be on KL Rahul when high-flying Lucknow Super Giants take on inconsistent Kolkata Knight Riders at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Saturday. Lucknow have had an impressive run in their first-ever IPL season and they currently occupy second place with 14 points. Their skipper Rahul has led from the front, scoring a staggering 451 runs from 10 matches, with two hundreds. While the Indian batter, who is in red-hot form, looks to consolidate his position in the Orange Cap race, Lucknow set sights on the playoffs berth and a win against Kolkata will be of immense help.
Rahul notched up 77 in Lucknow’s narrow six-run win against Delhi Capitals but he will seek support from the likes of Quinton de Kock, Ayush Badoni and Deepak Hooda. South African opener de Kock has got starts but needs to convert them into a big score. Similarly, Hooda and Badoni have chipped in with runs but the Indian batters seek a consistent run in the business end of the tournament. The all-round duo of Marcus Stoinis and Jason Holder also needs to perform on a regular basis.
On the bowling front, Lucknow have Holder’s bowling experience at the death and Ravi Bishnoi-Krishnappa Gowtham’s spin in the middle overs. The new entrants will also rely on Krunal Pandya, who has delivered with the ball lately. The Baroda all-rounder has plucked six wickets including a three-fer in his last four games.
Pacer Mohsin Khan picked up four wickets in the previous game and it remains to be seen whether the franchise includes Avesh Khan in his place. Avesh missed the Delhi Capitals clash due to a niggle. Also, Lucknow can drop Gowtham to accommodate both Avesh and Mohsin in the eleven.
Openers: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul
Top and Middle order: Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Ayush Badoni
Power hitter: Krunal Pandya/Jason Holder
Spin Options: Ravi Bishnoi
Pacers: Jason Holder, Dushmantha Chameera, Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan,
LSG Predicted XI vs KKR : Quinton de Kock (wk), KL Rahul (c), Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Marcus Stoinis, Ayush Badoni, Jason Holder, Dushmantha Chameera, Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi.
Changes from the last match: In all likelihood, Lucknow can replace Gowtham with Avesh Khan if the pacer is fit for the game. Avesh remains a key element of their set-up with 11 plucks in eight games.