Kamal Ghorui
LUCKNOW: Lucknow Super Giants return to the Ekana Stadium on Wednesday needing more than a win — what they need is a course correction. LSG have lost four of their first six matches, including a 54-run defeat to Punjab Kings in their previous outing, and are still without a home win this season after two losses in Lucknow. Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, arrive better placed, with four wins from six games and third place on the points table.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!For LSG, the concern is straightforward: their top order has not given them enough. The side has too often been forced into recovery mode and on a ground where setting up the innings matters, another shaky start could leave them chasing the game early. That makes the first six overs the clearest tactical window of the contest. Asked what whas wrong with their batting unit, LSG’s Aiden Markram said, “It’s probably just a case of maybe struggling for a bit of rhythm. It’s quite strange. We laugh about it in the sense that one or two guys can struggle, it’s part of the game, but when the full batting lineup does so… the odds of that happening normally are quite slim.”Rajasthan look better equipped in that phase. Jofra Archer has been their early enforcer, with nine wickets in his last eight T20s, and he goes up against an LSG batting group still searching for rhythm. If Archer breaks through up front, Rajasthan can immediately squeeze a middle order that has not consistently played from positions of control. Lucknow’s counter lies with Prince Yadav, whose recent numbers also stand out.
He has been one of LSG’s few bright spots with the new ball and his duel with Rajasthan’s aggressive opening pair of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaswal could shape the match. If Prince can strike in the Powerplay, LSG would have already done half the job.There is also a wider context for LSG. They are yet to feel at home at the Ekana stadium after three winless games. Home cannot become a disadvantage and on a red-soil pitch, Lucknow’s batter have a lot to play for.
| 82 – Sanju Samson’s unbeaten knock off 52 balls in Jaipur on March 24, 2024 is the highest individual score in matches involving RR and LSG.
4/41 – Yuzvendra Chahal’s bowling performance for RR at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on April 10, 2022 is the only four-wicket haul in games involving these two teams. —Stats: Rajesh Kumar |
