Focus on misfiring Pant, Rohit as LSG crosses swords with upbeat Mumbai Indians

LSG will hope captain Rishabh Pant finds form with the bat.
| Photo Credit: SANDEEP SAXENA

Lucknow Super Giants will hope its big guns can turn up and pull off a concerted effort against Mumbai Indians at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in their IPL match here on Friday.

The Super Giants’ fate has hinged on the efforts of Nicholas Pooran, who has scored 189 runs in three innings at a strike rate of nearly 220.

Rishabh Pant’s lack of form has been emblematic of LSG’s middle-order woes with the captain contributing just 17 runs in three essays. His task will be cut out against Vignesh Puthur. Pant has a strike rate of 92 against left-arm unorthodox spinners.

David Miller has ended unbeaten in two out of his three outings but his middling strike rate of 134 has not allayed concerns over the side’s batting form.

With the ball, Ravi Bishnoi has conceded at 12.54 per over in the three games so far, his worst economy rate through a season. Akash Deep joined the LSG squad on the match eve to bolster an injury-hit pace unit.

MI comes into the match on the high of a home win, but faces the daunting task of snapping a six-game losing streak on the road.

Mumbai Indians batter Rohit Sharma during a practice session ahead of the IPL match against LSG.
| Photo Credit:
SANDEEP SAXENA

Ryan Rickelton and Suryakumar Yadav starred in MI’s chase against Kolkata Knight Riders. But the side will have its batting firing on all cylinders only when Rohit Sharma chips in with runs.

Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar claimed three wickets in the PowerPlay in their last game, and the new ball duo will again be tempted to attack early given LSG’s batting fragility.