Today's IPL match will see Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) taking on Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Ekana Stadium in match 47 of the Indian Premier League 2024. (Preview | Full IPL Coverage)
LSG have five wins and four losses so far in this tournament and are stuck in the mid-table muddle. A strong performance on Tuesday will separate them from other mid-table teams.
LSG have found different heroes while batting but the same can not be said about their bowling which has lacked teeth ever since Mayank Yadav pulled out of the side due to an injury. Yadav's return is still not confirmed and that would continue to make things tough for an inexperienced LSG bowling attack.
MI will have their IPL 2024 campaign on line when they take on the hosts on Tuesday. With six losses and just three wins, the Hardik Pandya-led side are not far from elimination.
The bowling has looked ordinary despite Jasprit Bumrah being the best bowler of the tournament. Batting wise MI have done well but not enough to make up for their lacklustre bowling performances. A win is a must for them on Tuesday.
Let us take a look at three key matchups that will decide the course of the LSG vs MI, IPL 2024 match.
KL Rahul vs Jasprit Bumrah
KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah both have been the most consistent performers for their teams this season and on Tuesday they will be up against each other. The IPL record of both these players against each other shows interesting numbers.
While Bumrah has got Rahul's wicket just twice in IPL, the MI bowling leader has also not let the LSG skipper score any quicker. Rahul's strike rate against Bumrah in IPL is 127.7. But Rahul this season has looked to attack more in the powerplay and that is where Bumrah will be needed for MI to stop the LSG captain.
Nicholas Pooran vs Gerald Coetzee
Gerald Coetzee has bowled at a serious pace this year while Nicholas Pooran has hit at equally impressive strike rate.
Express pace is among Pooran's big weaknesses and Coetzee could exploit that. But a little wayward bowling and Pooran will have no problems sending the South African to the cleaners. In the earlier games, Coetzee has struggled for discipline and that could make things easy for Pooran.
Fireworks will be expected when this two aggressive duo clashes on Tuesday.
Suryakumar Yadav vs Mohsin Khan
After missing a few games due to injury, Suryakumar Yadav has been back at his best since his return. The injury seems to have had no effect on his exceptional stroke play.
Mohsin Khan has not been at his best this season. The swing upfront and extra bounce are both missing and that is why he has looked ordinary. However, if he regains his rhythm and gets these attributes back, he is the bowler in LSG's rank to get the better of Yadav.
How Khan bowls to Yadav will be interesting to watch.
