Royal Challengers Bengaluru to face Lucknow Super Giants in IPL

Lucknow. Royal Challengers Bengaluru is facing Lucknow Super Giants today in the IPL. The match will be played at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow from 7:45 PM onwards.

Bengaluru suffered a 4-wicket defeat against Gujarat Titans in their previous match. The team, captained by Rajat Patidar, wants to strengthen its position in the playoff race by winning this match.

On the other hand, for Lucknow Super Giants, who have reached the bottom of the points table after six consecutive losses, this clash will be an opportunity to save their pride.

• Lucknow has not been able to defeat Bengaluru at Ekana

So far, there have been 7 clashes between these two teams in the IPL. Lucknow Super Giants have won 2 and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have won 5 matches. This is the second clash between the two in this season. 

In the first match played in Bengaluru, Bengaluru defeated Lucknow by 5 wickets. In the previous season, one match was played between the two, which Bengaluru won. Both teams have clashed twice at Ekana and both times Bengaluru has won.

• Royal Challengers Bengaluru in third place

Bengaluru is in second place in the points table with 12 points. However, two other teams also have 12 points each. After the defeat against Gujarat Titans, Bengaluru's net run rate has been affected, which the team will try to improve. 

On the other hand, the tournament is almost over for Lucknow Super Giants. However, the team led by Rishabh Pant can spoil Bengaluru's game.

• Lucknow winless in last 6 matches

This season has been disappointing for Lucknow Super Giants. Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, and Nicholas Pooran have been struggling continuously. 

Questions have also been raised about captain Rishabh Pant's form. The strategy of constantly changing the batting order has proven costly for the team. 

Now they will have to face experienced bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, who dismissed Delhi Capitals for just 75 runs.

In bowling for Lucknow Super Giants, only Prithvi Yadav (13 wickets) and Mohsin Khan (10 wickets) have been successful. Mohammed Shami's poor form and inability to stop runs in the death overs have become the team's biggest weakness.

• Virat Kohli in form, but Salt injured

Bengaluru's batting has been aggressive this season. Virat Kohli is the team's highest run-scorer with 379 runs. 

In the previous match, the team's batting faltered. The score went from 79/2 to 96/6, and the entire team was bundled out for 155 runs. Opener Phil Salt's finger injury is a big blow to the team. 

In his absence, the responsibility of giving a good start alongside Virat Kohli will fall on Jackob Bethell. Big scores are also expected from captain Rajat Patidar and Devdutt Padikkal in the middle order.

Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru has an experienced bowling attack. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is taking wickets with the new ball, while Josh Hazlewood's accurate spell keeps the batters tied down. In spin, Krunal Pandya has been impressive with 9 wickets.

Who to watch 

• Virat Kohli 

A tough pitch and a large outfield are places where Virat Kohli can prove very valuable. It's not that he has fallen behind. 

His strike rate this year is similar to Sanju Samson's, and he is only 66 runs behind the Orange Cap holder. But he can truly shine in low-scoring games.

• Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant is having another disappointing season for Lucknow. His batting, keeping, or on-field communication has garnered more attention than his performance. He has also lost his number three position. Will he find a way back into form?

26 matches completed at Ekana so far

The pitch at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow is expected to assist spinners. A total of 26 IPL matches have been played here so far. Teams batting first have won 10 matches and teams chasing have won 14 matches. One match ended in a no result, and one match was decided in a super over.

The highest score in the IPL here is held by Kolkata Knight Riders. They scored 235/6 against Lucknow in 2024. 

Similarly, the lowest score is registered by Lucknow Super Giants. In 2023, while playing against Bengaluru, they were bundled out for just 108 runs.

Possibility of rain in Lucknow

Lucknow will be partly cloudy today. There is a 25 percent chance of light rain or scattered showers with thunderstorms in the afternoon or evening. The maximum temperature is estimated to be between 31 to 34 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature between 22 to 27 degrees Celsius.

• Team News 

Jacob Bethell to continue

In Lucknow's last combination, Jos Inglis was the opener and Pooran was at number three, pushing Pant and Aiden Markram down the order. 

They got off to a great start, reaching 123/1 in 8 overs, but the middle order collapsed again, and the final score reached only 228. Lucknow will have to work with what they have. This means continuing with the same combination for some time.

Lucknow Super Giants (Probable): 1. Mitchell Marsh, 2. Jos Inglis, 3. Nicholas Pooran, 4. Rishabh Pant (Captain/Wicketkeeper), 5. Aiden Markram, 6. Akshat Raghuwanshi, 7. Himmat Singh, 8. Mohammed Shami, 9. Mohsin Khan, 10. Avesh Khan, 11. Prithvi Yadav, 12. M. Siddharth.

With uncertainty increasing due to Salt's injury, Jacob Bethell is likely to get a good opportunity at the top of the order. In the previous match against Gujarat Titans, Bengaluru came under pressure due to continuous loss of wickets and was forced to change its 'Impact Player' strategy. Venkatesh Iyer was brought into the game in place of Rassie van der Dussen, but this cannot be expected in every match.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Probable): 1. Virat Kohli, 2. Jacob Bethell, 3. Devdutt Padikkal, 4. Rajat Patidar (Captain), 5. Jitesh Sharma (Wicketkeeper), 6. Tim David, 7. Romario Shepherd, 8. Krunal Pandya, 9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10. Josh Hazlewood, 11. Suyash Sharma, 12. Rassie van der Dussen.

Statistics and Interesting Information

• Mohsin Khan has bowled three maiden overs in this IPL, but this is not a record. Surprisingly, Dhawal Kulkarni bowled four such overs in 2016.
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar may have dismissed him cheaply in the previous encounter, but Pant's record against the leading wicket-taker in this year's IPL is still strong: 56 balls, 121 runs, dismissed twice.
• With one defeat in a super over, Lucknow has a record of 13 wins and 20 losses, and their win-loss ratio at their home ground is the worst among the current teams. Only Gujarat Lions, Deccan Chargers, and Pune Warriors had worse home records.