IPL 2023, PBKS vs LSG preview: All eyes on KL Rahul as Lucknow look to solidify place in Top 4

Lucknow Super Giants will look to shed the horrors of their previous encounter in IPL 2023 when KL Rahul's men lock horns with Punjab Kings in Mohali.

Halfway into the competition, both teams have four wins from seven games and will be looking to find consistency in the tight race to the IPL playoffs.

LSG need to work on their batting strategy after they failed to hit any boundary off the last 46 balls against Gujarat Titans on a tricky Ekana wicket and eventually lost the match.

Despite the absence of their lynchpin Mark Wood, Lucknow managed to put up a superb bowling performance, with Amit Mishra enjoying great influence as an Impact Player.

Also read: IPL 2023: LSG pacer Mark Wood to miss final stages of the season

Meanwhile, Punjab Kings, whose batting has come under scanner, should receive a big boost in the form of captain Shikhar Dhawan, who has been out of action in the last 3 games due to a shoulder injury

However, Punjab need other batters to fire as well. Matthew Short, Prabhsimran Singh have all got starts in recent matches but have failed to convert them in big scores, while Liam Livingstone hasn't come to the party as yet.

Stand-in captain Sam Curran has performed well with both bat and ball, while Arshdeep Singh has been exceptional in the powerplay and death overs.

Lucknow team news

Mark Wood has not played since April 15. And if media reports are to be believed, the tearaway pacer has recovered well and could return to LSG's XI against PBKS.

Punjab Kings team news

Having missed the last 3 encounters, captain Shikhar Dhawan should return to the XI and will be a big boost for the home side.

PBKS vs LSG head-to-head

In the head-to-head comparison, both teams have won a game against each other.

Mohali weather forecast

There is no chance of rainfall on matchday.

PBKS vs LSG Probable Playing XI

Punjab possible Playing XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Prabhsimran Singh, Matthew Short, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh.

LSG possible Playing XI: KL Rahul (c), Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Ayush Badoni, Mark Wood, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi