As the IPL season draws to a close, Mumbai Indians (MI) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will face off at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday, both teams eager to end their campaigns with a victory. Although both teams are out of contention for the playoffs, they will be seeking a positive finish to their otherwise disappointing seasons.
Mumbai Indians were eliminated from the playoff race early in the season, while Lucknow Super Giants' hopes are virtually nonexistent even if they manage a significant win in their final match. Three consecutive losses have not only cost LSG critical points but also severely impacted their net run rate. A 98-run defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders was followed by a 10-wicket loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, and a 19-run defeat to Delhi Capitals all but extinguished their playoff hopes.
Currently sitting in seventh place, LSG have a net run rate (NRR) of -0.787, which is unlikely to improve enough to surpass Royal Challengers Bangalore, who have a much healthier NRR of 0.387. For Mumbai Indians, this season has been particularly tough as they were the first team to be knocked out of the playoff race. Under new captain Hardik Pandya, the team has managed only four wins from 13 matches, and a victory on Friday might merely help them avoid finishing last.
The transition in leadership from Rohit Sharma to Hardik Pandya sparked backlash from fans and seems to have disrupted the team's dynamics. MI's batting lineup has underperformed collectively, and even the exceptional bowling of Jasprit Bumrah, who has taken 20 wickets in 13 matches, couldn't inspire the rest of the bowlers.
With an eye on the T20 World Cup, the spotlight will be on key players such as Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav, who are crucial to India's aspirations of winning the coveted trophy. Rohit Sharma has struggled significantly, with his highest score being just 19 in the last six matches. Pandya, too, has failed to make a substantial impact in his all-round role. However, Suryakumar Yadav has shown a resurgence in form, with three fifties and a century to his name in this IPL season.
For Lucknow Super Giants, missed opportunities and a lack of firepower have been their undoing. Despite KL Rahul's successful run with the bat, scoring 465 runs with three half-centuries, his strike rate has been a subject of constant debate. Nicholas Pooran has been a standout performer, providing crucial late runs with 424 runs at a strike rate of 168.92. However, the collective failure of LSG's bowlers has been a significant concern throughout the season.
Team News
With the outcome of the game not expected to impact their standings as such, the two teams could opt for 1-2 young faces in their lineups.
Head-to-head record
In their 5 meetings so far, LSG have emerged victorious on 4 occasions. Even in their last game, the Super Giants beat Mumbai by 4 wickets.
Weather report
It will be a hot and humid evening at the Wankhede, with temperatures ranging between 30-33°C. There's also a 10% chance of rain but we should get a full contest.
Probable XIs
MI Probable XI: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Tim David, Anshul Kamboj, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah, Nuwan Thushara
LSG Probable XI: KL Rahul (c/wk), Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Krunal Pandya, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Arshad Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mohsin Khan
Full squads:
Mumbai Indians: Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Tim David, Anshul Kamboj, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah, Nuwan Thushara, Nehal Wadhera, Shams Mulani, Shivalik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Romario Shepherd, Mohammad Nabi, Shreyas Gopal, Luke Wood, Harvik Desai, Gerald Coetzee, Arjun Tendulkar, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Kwena Maphaka
Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (wk/c), Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Yash Thakur, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Ashton Turner, Manimaran Siddharth, Amit Mishra, Devdutt Padikkal, Arshin Kulkarni, Mohsin Khan, Kyle Mayers, Matt Henry, Prerak Mankad, Arshad Khan, Shamar Joseph
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(With PTI inputs)
