Having finally got their campaign started with a victory in the previous encounter, Mumbai Indians (MI) will be eager to continue their winning momentum as they take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Friday, April 4 at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. The Hardik Pandya-led side had a disastrous start to the season, losing their opening encounter against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by four wickets.
They further failed to chase down 197 against the Gujarat Titans (GT) and lost by 36 runs. However, the first home game finally turned out to be the game-changer for MI, who beat the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to open their account on the points table.
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The youthful exuberance of Ashwani Kumar, coupled with the energy of the local crowd, seems to have rejuvenated Mumbai and set them up perfectly for the rest of the season. If history is any example, the five-time champions’ campaign just skyrockets after a few initial hiccups. The Hardik Pandya-led side will aim to continue their past record and make sure that their campaign goes from strength to strength from here onwards.
On the other hand, Lucknow have had a mixed season so far under the leadership of their new captain, Rishabh Pant. They managed to lose the opening game against Delhi Capitals (DC) from a dominating position but hammered the hard-hitting Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the second game. However, Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) eight-wicket win over them in the third encounter exposed frailties in their playing combination.
Captain Pant also hasn’t had a good start personally, having accumulated just 17 runs from the first three games, and the wicket-keeping blunders have further added to his woes. Hence, Pant has a lot to prove both as a captain and player against Mumbai Indians as Lucknow aim to bounce back to winning ways.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: LSG vs MI
Lucknow is the only team from the present IPL season who boast a dominating record over Mumbai Indians, having beaten them just once out of the six matches played between the two teams. Be it home or away, MI haven’t been able to stamp their authority over LSG, which will give the opposition massive confidence heading into the fixture.
Team News: LSG vs MI
Lucknow have been bolstered by the return of star seamer Akash Deep. However, uncertainty remains on the return of Mayank Yadav. On the other hand, there are no injury concerns in the MI camp.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Predicted XI: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (WK/C), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi,
Impact Players: Prince Yadav/Akash Deep
Mumbai Indians (MI) Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton(w), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar
Impact Player: Vignesh Puthur/Satyanarayana Raju/ Mujeeb ur Rehman
Pitch Report: LSG vs MI
After criticism from mentor Zaheer Khan following the loss in the opening game, it remains to be seen whether the curators have taken note of it. Historically, the Lucknow surface has aided spinners and the pitch in the upcoming fixture is expected to be on the similar lines. The batters will also be able break free after spending some time in the middle.
