Lucknow Super Giants are set to host Chennai Super Kings in the 'Super' clash of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday. (Streaming | Full IPL 2024 Coverage)
Before the match, CSK roped in English seamer Richard Gleeson in the squad as a replacement for the injured Devon Conway. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led CSK already have plenty of foreign fast bowlers including Matheesha Pathirana and Mustafizur Rahman.
LSG went down against Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets in their last match whereas CSK defeated Mumbai Indians by 20 runs in Wankhede Stadium. Now, they have to face the injury-ridden LSG on a two-paced Lucknow pitch. Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana is expected to play in the match.
The batting top order of LSG have not contributed enough so far and KL Rahul will be hoping for a positive response from their batters in the next match against the defending champions. The young pace sensation Mayank Yadav is unlikely to participate in Friday's game.
LSG Vs CSK Full Squads:
Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Krunal Pandya, Yudhvir Singh, Prerak Mankad, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra, Shamar Joseph, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, K. Gowtham, Shivam Mavi, Arshin Kulkarni, M. Siddharth, Ashton Turner, Matt Henry, Mohd. Arshad Khan.
Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (wk), Aravelly Avanish (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, RS Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nishant Sindhu, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Choudhary, Mustafizur Rahman, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Shardul Thakur, Maheesh Theekshana, Sameer Rizvi.
As the clash between two 'Super' teams is scheduled for Friday in Lucknow's beautiful Ekana Cricket Stadium, three key player battles are worth looking out for from the LSG vs CSK match
1. Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Yash Thakur
Ruturaj Gaikwad is in fine form after hitting back-to-back half-centuries and likes to take his time and take the game forward. He has almost all the shots in his book and can guide the innings according to the requirements. Yash Thakur has been very impressive this season and comes to bowl in the powerplay and also in death overs. He is a bowler who can bowl with sheer pace and also has good slower delivery. He poses some threat to the CSK captain.
2. Quinton de Kock vs Tushar Deshpande
The opening batter of LSG Quinton de Kock has not played any significant inning this season so far but he can be dangerous on his given day. He likes to take on bowlers from the first over and once settled, can prove to be very dangerous for CSK bowlers. Tushar Deshpande has a variety of deliveries in his arsenal and will be using them against the veteran southpaw on Friday.
3. Shivam Dube vs Ravi Bishnoi
Shivam Dube has been playing exceptionally well this season, hitting some beautiful shots. In the previous game against Mumbai Indians, he scored an unbeaten half-century. He has an impressive strike rate against spinners, but LSG's ace spinner, Ravi Bishnoi, might just be able to outsmart him with his spin tactics. Dube, however, will be looking to hit Bishnoi for big shots. It will indeed be an exciting player battle to witness who comes out on top.
