Can MI or LSG move from low ebb to full flow?

Match Details

Mumbai Indians v Lucknow Super Giants
Mumbai, 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT)

Big Picture

Friday could be an emotional evening, of reflection and goodbyes. Being the final game of the current three-year auction cycle for MI and LSG (that is, barring an astonishing miracle for LSG), it’s possible a number of players from both sides are playing together for one final time. But before the farewells, there’s a game to be won and pride to be salvaged.

A win for MI could lift them off the bottom of the points table, depending on how Punjab Kings fare in their final game. Meanwhile, LSG could finish as high as sixth, maybe even fifth, if they win big, depending on how Saturday’s heavyweight fixture, RCB vs CSK, pans out.

MI’s backroom has been in constant focus, not least because of the pre-season leadership reshuffle. The two men at the centre of it – Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya – have had challenging seasons. Rohit has managed just 52 runs in his last six innings, with four single-digit scores and a rough 24-ball 19 in his most recent outing at Eden Gardens.

Hardik has had one of his worst seasons with the bat. He’s been unable to score a half-century in 12 innings while his bowling returns have also been largely mixed: 11 wickets at an economy of 10.58. With the T20 World Cup looming, India’s captain and vice-captain will be hoping to put in a compelling performance before they leave for the USA.

Unlike MI, who endured a horror run right through their season, LSG started well and then stuttered. From having been comfortably placed in the top-half with five wins in eight games, they slumped in the back-half of the tournament. They’ve lost three on the bounce, the most-recent one against Delhi Capitals knocking them out of the playoffs race.

The form of their top order hasn’t inspired much confidence, and their overall batting approach has continued to prompt debates over strike rates and intent at a time when a number of other teams have time and again breached the 200-run barrier. LSG’s scoring rate of 8.93 is the second-lowest for any team this year. A breakdown of their numbers across different batting phases makes for grim reading too.

So it’s a contest between two teams, possibly at their lowest ebb, looking to end on a high before a much-needed rejig.

Form guide

Mumbai Indians LWLLL (most recent first)
Lucknow Super Giants LLLWL

Previous meeting

Marcus Stoinis played a big role in LSG’s four-wicket win. He first dismissed Suryakumar Yadav early as MI stumbled on a two-paced Lucknow surface where dew made their 144 appear a lot smaller than it should’ve been. With the bat, he made 45-ball 62 to lay the foundation of a chase they completed with four balls to spare.

Team news and Impact Player strategy

Mumbai Indians

MI have fielded just two overseas players in their starting XII for two games in a row now. Given this game will be played the Wankhede, they could look to bolster the bowling with fast bowler Gerald Coetzee in place of Naman Dhir. Rohit Sharma and Nuwan Thushara could be swapped in and out as Impact Subs.

Probable XII: 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Ishan Kishan (capt), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Nehal Wadhera, 7 Tim David, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Gerald Coetzee 10 Anshul Kamboj, 11 Jasprit Bumrah, 12 Nuwan Thushara

Lucknow Super Giants

Quinton de Kock has one half-century in his last eight innings. In seven of those, the 19 he made against DC mid-April is the highest. Maybe this is a chance to try Kyle Mayers, who is yet to get a game this season. Ayush Bodoni could be subbed in, when they bat, for Mohsin Khan.

Probable XII: 1 KL Rahul (capt, wk), 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Marcus Stoinis, 4 Deepak Hooda, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Ayush Badoni, 8 Arshad Khan, 9 Yudhvir Singh, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Naveen-ul-Haq, 12 Mohsin Khan

In the spotlight

Hardik Pandya, India’s T20 vice-captain, lends the kind of balance not many do. But he’s been in terrible batting form. However, in recent games, he’s shown some spark with the ball. He’s been high on pace, has bowled his full quota of overs in three of the last four games while picking up seven wickets, including a match-winning 3 for 31 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Some runs in a match-winning cause could bring him, and the Indian team management, some much-needed relief.

Nicholas Pooran has proven to be a consistent performer at No. 3 in the T20 circuit over the past two years, having scored eight fifty-plus score in 32 innings. Two nights ago, he struck his second-highest score of this season, a 27-ball 61, in a chase of 209 against DC, largely because he came in to bat in the fourth over after a top-order collapse. There’s been a reluctance to bat him higher up the order. Maybe there’s a case for LSG to reconsider his batting position.

Stats that matter

Pitch and conditions

Mumbai experienced a severe dust storm and thunderstorm earlier in the week, but conditions are expected to remain largely dry on Friday evening. A red-soil surface with even bounce and a smattering of grass across the 22 yards potentially points to a run fest. Dew could make the toss a vital factor.

Quotes

“It’s easy to just sit and think, ‘oh, well, he hasn’t had a great tournament’. But if you look at his numbers, they’re actually not bad at all, considering the circumstances that he’s had to bat in.”
LSG assistant coach Lance Klusener brushes aside negative chatter around KL Rahul’s form

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