With the kind of season Jos Buttler is having, it is difficult to think he would be challenged for this year’s Orange Cap but then again this is the Indian Premier League we are talking about, where impossible is just a word in the dictionary. Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul has taken it upon himself to ensure Buttler doesn’t have a walk in the park. If the Rajasthan Royals opener has a few more slips ups like in his previous match against RCB then Rahul has shown signs of catching up.
The LSG captain will have an opportunity to close the gap between him and Buttler when his side takes on the Punjab Kings in an IPL 2022 match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Friday. Rahul has already scored two centuries in this year’s IPL and has amassed 368 runs in 8 matches at an average of 61. The right-handed opener has been one of the main reasons behind LSG’s successful start to their debut season.
However, whenever Rahul doesn’t score, LSG seem to wobble at the top. South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock has blown hot and cold in IPL 2022 and the problem of finding a suitable number 3 has continued to trouble the Lucknow-based franchise.
This is where PBKS would like to seek the opportunity. If they can manage to break the Rahul-de Kock opening partnership early then they will be able to put pressure on the middle order comprising Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, and Ayush Badoni.
The likes of Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh will be PBKS’ biggest weapons against a strong LSG batting unit.
Punjab Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants Probable XIs
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal (c), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Sandeep Sharma
Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock, Manish Pandey, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Ayush Badoni, Jason Holder, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, IPL Live Score, IPL 2022 schedule,IPL 2022 Points table andEntertainment News. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.