Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Average score at venue (1st inns): 163
Win percentage while batting first: 28.89%
Pitch conditions:
- Teams will have to be ready for the grind here at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai as the pitches here have proven to be tricky as well as tough in the first four matches of the competition.
- The captains like to invite the opposition to bat first since all four matches have witnessed teams who batted second have emerged as winners so far in the Indian T20 Cricket League 2022 season.
- Fast bowlers have enjoyed bowling at the pitches in the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai which have red soil assisting in extra bounce and pace along with movement off the surface. However, it remains to be seen what kind of impact humidity would have on the contest. Meanwhile, fast bowlers have a wicket-share percentage of 70.25% compared to 29.75% for the spin bowlers.
Weather prediction:
It will be a cloudy start on Sunday for Mumbai but the skies will clear up by the afternoon. The temperature will be at a high of 31°C for the majority of the afternoon, following which the mercury will drop down to 30°C during the match hours for the contest between Rajasthan and Lucknow. The humidity levels will be around 70%.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD (overall):
Matches played: -
Rajasthan won: -
Lucknow won: -
No result: -
Top 3 players from Rajasthan: Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal
Top 3 players from Lucknow: KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Ravi Bishnoi
Top picks for H2H/WTA contest (top 5 players each):
Top 5 players from Rajasthan: Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal
Top 5 players from Lucknow: KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni
Q & A:
Fantasy tips and tricks: Should I pick more bowlers, batsmen or all-rounders?
It will be a contest between two of the best teams in the tournament so far. Even though Rajasthan lost their previous match against Bangalore, they remain a quality side with plenty of firepower in all departments. On the other hand, Lucknow have been able to make a strong impression of themselves as they are currently sitting pretty at the third spot in the points table for the Indian T20 Cricket League 2022 with 3 victories in 4 matches played so far. Rajasthan and Lucknow will lock horns at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, a venue which has remained tricky for batsmen in order to get quick and big runs, which implies that having a long batting line-up and carrying enough fast bowling options will be the right approach for creating fantasy cricket playing XI.
Fantasy tips: From which team should I pick more players in my XI? Which team is stronger?
There is not a lot that separates Rajasthan and Lucknow at this stage in the Indian T20 Cricket League 2022. Rajasthan and Lucknow have both lost one match each so far, with the latter playing one game more than the Sanju Samson-led side at this point in time. Both Rajasthan and Lucknow have managed to get the better of some really formidable opponents in this tournament which makes them both the sides to beat. Lucknow have three of their batsmen featuring in the list of highest run-getters in the tournament and they also have an effective bowling line-up. But on the basis of overall firepower, Rajasthan looks stronger since their bowling attack is more varied and experienced.
MORE INFORMATION: It is unlikely that both Rajasthan and Lucknow will be making a lot of changes to their respective playing XIs ahead of this contest. Rajasthan have been able to put together a playing XI which has power and capability to get desired results on most of the days, whereas Lucknow have shown tremendous determination and discipline in order to get over the finish line more often than not. Lucknow are currently sitting at the 3rd spot in the points table with 3 wins giving them 6 points and a Net Run Rate (NRR) of 0.256, and following them are Rajasthan at the 4th spot with two wins in 3 matches giving them 4 points and a healthier NRR of 1.218.
PLAYERS’ FORM: Rajasthan will expect their wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler to continue batting in the same manner that he has in the last two matches, garnering more than 170 runs including a century. At the same time, the expectations will be high from Rajasthan captain Sanju Samson, who has not been able to convert starts into big scores. The current form of Shimron Hetmyer is an added advantage for the 2008 winners Rajasthan, whereas Lucknow will continue to bank on the first-wicket pairing of KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock to get them the runs. Lucknow also have a dangerous middle-order consisting Deepak Hooda, Evin Lewis, Ayush Badoni and Krunal Pandya, who have done their job to perfection so far.
Changes in squad (if any): NO
LIKELY XIs:
RAJASTHAN: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c&wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Navdeep Saini, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal
LUCKNOW: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Evin Lewis, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, Krishnappa Gowtham, Andrew Tye, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan
FANTASY XI: Jos Buttler (c), KL Rahul (vc), Quinton de Kock, Sanju Samson (wk), Deepak Hooda, Shimron Hetmyer, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna.
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Rajasthan vs Lucknow promises blockbuster contest
Rajasthan will face Lucknow in what promises to be a blockbuster contest between two high performing teams in the Indian T20 Cricket League 2022 tournament, in the Match No 20 to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday night.
In a tournament where batsmen have been able to make their mark more than any other party involved, they have found their jobs tougher batting on the Wankhede stadium pitches as scores around 160-170 do not seem enough since teams batting second have been able to win every single match so far.
It indeed has been a little difficult getting runs in the first innings while in the second, teams have found betting easier which is also because of the dew factor that has influenced so many results in this Indian T20 Cricket League 2022 tournament.
Rajasthan will hope that their batting continues to click together the way it has for them in the tournament so far, with Jos Buttler leading the way having already scored a century and a 70 in just 3 matches that they have played. Rajasthan captain Sanju Samson has also been among runs even though he has not been able to notch up a big score yet.
The form of West Indies batsman Shimron Hetmyer has been top notch as the left-handed batsman has been able to provide Rajasthan with impetus in almost every innings that he has batted.
In comparison with Lucknow, Rajasthan look more formidable because of their bowling line-up which consists of the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, and Ravichandran Ashwin. Even Navdeep Saini has been able to take crucial wickets for Rajasthan in the limited opportunities he has got so far.
In the case of Lucknow, their biggest strength is their batting since the opening pair of KL Rahul and Quinton De Kock is one of the most dangerous partnerships at the top, which is followed by in-form batsmen such as Evin Lewis, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni and even Krunal Pandya.
Rajasthan are coming into this contest following a defeat at the hands of Bangalore whereas Lucknow will be high on confidence given that they defeated Delhi in a thrilling match, which had both the teams scoring around 150 runs in the two innings.
For Lucknow, Ravi Bishnoi is an important bowler whereas Krunal Pandya and Avesh Khan have also been able to make their mark.
