IPL 2022: Match 53 – Predicted Lucknow Super Giants Playing XI vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have seven wins in 10 league matches and are at second position in the IPL 2022 points table. The presence of experienced players in both departments of the game has helped them to win the crunch moments in their previous games. In their last outing, they outclassed Delhi Capitals (DC) by six runs.

A terrific partnership between KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda propelled the team to a strong score of 195/3 on the board. In the bowling unit, Mohsin Khan was the most successful bowler. In their next league match, they will face the challenge of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on May 7 at MCA Stadium, Pune. With a fine performance from almost all the players, the team management is not expected to tinker with the winning combination.

Here’s a look at the Lucknow Super Giants predicted playing XI against KKR:

Openers: KL Rahul (c) and Quinton de Kock (wk)

The openers of the LSG have been quite consistent with their performances and have provided a strong start to the team on most occasions. Captain KL Rahul has amassed 451 runs in 10 innings at an average of 56.37 and is currently the second-highest run-scorer in this season. He has already hit two centuries in this season.

In the last league match, Rahul slammed 77 off 51 balls, with five sixes, and was the top scorer of the team. His partner Quinton de Kock has contributed 294 runs in the tournament at an average of 29.40.

In the last outing, Quinton scored 23 off 13 balls and will be on the lookout to convert his starts into a big one, which he has failed to do on enough occasions in the tournament so far. His top score of 80 came against the Delhi Capitals.

Middle Order: Marcus Stoinis, Ayush Badoni

The middle-order of the LSG team has been one of the weak points for them in the last few matches, who have underperformed in terms of their contributions. The Aussie batter Marcus Stoinis was terrific with his whirlwind knock of 38* off 17 balls in his debut match of this season. However, he has been inconsistent to string up partnerships and provide quickfire contributions in the subsequent matches.

In the last fixture, he contributed 17*, but it came at a cost of 16 balls, and will need to improve his performance in order to help a late flourish to the team. On the other hand, the youngster Ayush Badoni was impressive with his ball-striking capabilities in the initial matches and had sealed the games for the team with his composure.

However, his last three scores are read as 13, 14 and 4, and has lost his steam to contribute in the final few overs. He has garnered 138 runs at an average of 23 and a strike rate of 138.

All-rounders: Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder

The experienced all-rounders of the LSG team will be critical to the team’s success in this fixture. With the failure of Stoinis and Badoni, they have to provide the bulk of the contributions. In terms of contributions with the bat, Deepak Hooda has done well to garner 279 runs in 10 innings at an average of 27.90 and a strike rate of 131.60.

Coming at number three, Hooda scored 52 off 34 in the last outing and laid a strong platform for the team to post a strong score on the board. All-rounder Krunal Pandya has picked up nine wickets in 10 appearances at a terrific economy of 6.64. With the bat, Pandya has contributed 128 runs at a strike rate of 143.82.

The Caribbean all-rounder Jason Holder has not got enough opportunity with the bat and has 43 runs at a strike rate of 119.44. On the bowling front, he has scalped a total of nine wickets at an economy of 9.03.

Bowlers: Krishnappa Gowtham, Dushmantha Chameera, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi

The spinner Krishnappa Gowtham was again brought back into the playing XI in the last league match, and he returned with figures of 1/23 off two overs. Although he was a bit expensive but took an important wicket of DC batter Mitchell Marsh. The Lankan pacer Dushmantha Chameera has been in good form with his pace and accuracy in the tournament.

In eight appearances, Chameera has scalped a total of eight wickets at an economy of 8.23. He finished with figures of 1/44 in the last outing and does have a scope for improvement. The spinner Ravi Bishnoi has eight wickets to his name at an economy of 8.10 and has rather been average with his performances.

The left-arm speedster Mohsin has filled up the boots of Avesh Khan in a terrific manner as he has picked up eight wickets in four appearances of the ongoing season. In the last fixture, he finished with 4/16 off four overs and was named as the player of the match.

LSG’s predicted playing XI for KKR clash: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jason Holder, Dushmantha Chameera, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi.