In the 26th match of the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League, Rajasthan Royals will be going one-on-one against Lucknow Supergiants. The Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur will be playing host for this battle between the toppers of the points table on Wednesday.
With four wins from five league games, the Royals are occupying the top place in the points table. The team has been absolutely sensational with the bat so far as it has scored over 175 runs in all its league games.
Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson have been the pick of the batters for the franchise. Meanwhile, the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi Ashwin are also doing wonders in IPL 2023.
As far as Lucknow Supergiants are concerned, they are also doing well in the competition with three wins and two losses. The team has collected six points so far and is second in the standings.
For the Supergiants, both the batters and bowlers have done a brilliant job. Nicholas Pooran and KL Rahul have been successful in working their charm with the bat while with the ball, Mark Wood has been the standout performer.
What has happened so far?
Rajasthan Royals are heading into the Wednesday game with a three-match winning streak. The team defeated the likes of Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings, and Gujarat Titans in its last three matches by 57 runs, three runs, and three wickets, respectively.
Shimron Hetmyer earned the man of the match award in the most recent game against the defending champions as his knock of not out 56 runs helped the team in chasing 178 runs with ease.
Speaking of Lucknow Supergiants, they will be aiming for a comeback after losing to Punjab Kings in the last game by two wickets. Despite a 74-run knock by skipper KL Rahul, Lucknow scored only 159 runs in the first innings and Punjab Kings easily chased the total within 19.3 overs to record a victory by two wickets.
Head to Head Record
Rajasthan Royals have an edge over Lucknow Supergiants in the head-to-head records
Rajasthan Royals are leading the head-to-head records against Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League. The two teams faced each other twice in the league round last year and both games saw the Royals recording a win. In the first match, Rajasthan Royals successfully defended 165 runs in the 20 overs to cruise to a win by three runs.
The second game also witnessed the domination of the RR bowlers as they restricted the Super Giants to a score of 154 runs. The pacers Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna picked two wickets each as the Royals registered a victory by 24 runs.
Key Players
Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals)
For Rajasthan Royals to continue their winning momentum in the IPL 2023, it is important for Jos Buttler to deliver a terrific performance. The opening batter is currently ruling the run-getting charts for the runner-up with 204 runs in five games at an average of 40.80.
Buttler was the reason behind the Royals’ reaching the final last year. He was the top run-getter in the 2022 season, with over 800 runs under his belt.
KL Rahul (Lucknow Supergiants)
Following a dry spell in international cricket this year, KL Rahul is proving his batting mettle for Lucknow Super Giants at the top of the order. He is currently the top run-scorer for his team with 155 runs to his name in five games.
The batter looked good against Punjab Kings with a knock of 74 runs off 56 balls. Thus, there are high chances of the skipper churning out another excellent performance to help his team make a comeback to the winning ways.
Predicted Playing XIs
Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson ©, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal
Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul ©, Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran, Jaydev Unadkat, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Mark Wood, Ravi Bishnoi
Prediction
Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants are likely to give a tough fight to each other on Wednesday, but the chances of the Royals scoring a victory are high. The Sanju Samson-led side has done slightly better in the tournament so far as compared to the Supergiants.
Moreover, RR is on a three-match winning streak while Lucknow Supergiants succumbed to a two-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings. Having said that, Lucknow is expected to give RR a run for its money on Wednesday.