IPL 2023, LSG vs DC: Decoding the key player battles
What's the story
Lucknow Super Giants will host the Delhi Capitals for the third fixture in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on April 1. Both teams are aiming to win their maiden crown and will look to get off to a good start. There are plenty of talented players on both teams and one can expect a lot of exciting duels. Here are the key battles.
Key battle
KL Rahul vs Khaleel Ahmed
KL Rahul (3,164) has scored the most runs in IPL since 2018. He scored 616 runs last season. He will have to attack the new ball and may look to take down Khaleel Ahmed. The speedster picked 16 wickets in 10 games last season. In four innings against him, Rahul has managed 26 runs and got dismissed once with a strike-rate of 104.
Key battle
David Warner vs Ravi Bishnoi
David Warner has been one of the most consistent batters in IPL history. He is close to completing 6,000 IPL runs. However, DC are sweating over his recent form. Warner has faced Ravi Bishnoi thrice and scored only five runs while getting dismissed all three times (SR: 83.33). Bishnoi picked 13 wickets in 14 matches last season at an economy of 8.44.
Key battle
Mitchell Marsh vs Mark Wood
Mitchell Marsh is coming off a fantastic series and will look to carry that form onto the IPL. In 23 innings against pace in the tournament, he has scored 340 runs at a strike rate of 132.81. And, Mark Wood will probably take the role of sending the Australian back to the pavilion. In 49 T20s, he has scalped 65 wickets at 21.20.
Key battle
Nicholas Pooran vs Kuldeep Yadav
Nicholas Pooran will be key for LSG in the middle overs. In 31 innings against spin in the IPL, he has smoked 379 runs striking at 152.20. Warner may use Kuldeep Yadav to neutralize the swashbuckler, the 28-year-old is among the three bowlers, who picked 20 wickets in the middle overs (7-15) last season. It promises to be an exciting battle.
Match details
Pitch report, timing and streaming details
The BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium will be LSG's home ground for the season. A total of nine T20s have been played here and the average first innings total is 151. The pitch is conducive for batting but will assist the bowlers as the game goes on. Star Sports will telecast the match on TV and fans can live-stream it on JioCinema from 7:30 PM.