with IPL Gujarat Titans, sealing their ticket for the IPL 2022 final, will look to move closer to reaching the title clash when they square off against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the elimination of fellow debutants Lucknow Super Giants at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday.
Going into the competition, a lot of attention is being paid to Lucknow skipper KL Rahul, who has been in fine form with two centuries, three fifties and 537 runs at an average of 48.82. But all the centuries and half-centuries of Rahul this season have been recorded during the first innings.
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the former India Cricketer Mohammad Kaif said if Lucknow wants to play Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad on Friday, a lot will depend on Rahul’s form in the eliminator. “So, if we talk about today’s match, LSG reached this level after a rollercoaster ride. They are playing in the IPL for the first time. KL has led the team to the playoffs and that’s why he is in his captaincy and The batting has been excellent.
“The real test of his form will be today, because you don’t want to make a mistake in today’s match,” he said. They shouldn’t take too much pressure and let de Kock take the shots for himself. Kaif said in the show ‘Game Plan’ on Star Sports, ‘look at the ball and hit the ball’ strategy should be used.
Kaif feels that succeeding in the second innings will be a test for the opener, putting a lot of pressure on himself. He said, ‘According to me, KL Rahul wants to play the captaincy innings and he puts a lot of pressure on himself. Since you are in form, you should try to bat in the same way as you bat first.”
“(Quinton) de Kock is playing with you and his job is to be aggressive, but your job is to play till the last over. He looks under pressure while chasing, and has been dismissed several times, but he is a class batsman. He has form, runs, mood and knows how to play till the end. He shoots in every direction. He takes time in the beginning but knows how to finish the game.”
Lucknow has been a team full of different types of all-rounders, giving the think-tank a lot of depth in the batting and bowling departments, besides causing the think-tank problem. For Kaif, Lucknow’s bowling unit looks stronger than Bangalore’s.
“Basically, Lucknow’s bowling is better and RCB are quite weak. Mohammad Siraj was out in the last match and was replaced by Siddharth Kaul and ended up conceding 40 runs in 4 overs, which is quite expensive. Apart from Hazlewood, RCB’s bowling is very weak on the Eden Gardens pitch. Lucknow’s bowling is better, so RCB should perform better with their batting, and should hit sixes, then only they will be able to win today’s match. It’s a big fight!”
Kaif signed on saying that Lucknow is the favorite for him to beat Bangalore in the Eliminator.
“Lucknow has the batting edge. KL Rahul and de Kock are in form and they have an excellent bowling unit as well. In such a situation, RCB will have to work hard. If they hit more sixes, they will win today’s match. Maxwell’s small innings will have to be converted into big innings Virat Kohli You have to continue your form. If you ask me, Lucknow is leading this fight with 60-40 chances.”
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