3 player battles to watch out for in LSG vs KKR, Match 54 of IPL 2024 ft. Marcus Stoinis vs Varun Chakravarthy
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will battle on Sunday, May 5, at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in match number 54 of the ongoing IPL 2024.
This will be the second time that these two teams will face each other this season. KKR completed a comprehensive eight-wicket win over LSG at Eden Gardens earlier in the tournament.
After being asked to bat first, Lucknow registered 161/7 in 20 overs. Nicholas Pooran and KL Rahul were the top performers with the bat for LSG, scoring 45 and 39, respectively.
Mitchell Starc bagged three scalps, while Vaibhav Arora, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, and Andre Russell finished with one wicket each. KKR chased down the target comfortably in just 15.4 overs, courtesy of Phil Salt's unbeaten 89-run knock.
Lucknow are currently placed third in the points table, with six wins from their first 10 outings. Kolkata, on the other hand, have won seven of their 10 games and occupy the second spot.
The upcoming clash between the two star-studded teams also promises to be an exciting clash. Here, we take a look at three match-ups that could have a big impact on the result of the LSG vs KKR tie.
Marcus Stoinis (LSG) vs Varun Chakravarthy (KKR)
Marcus Stoinis has scored 316 runs across 10 innings at an average of 39.50 and a strike rate of 151.92. The Australian all-rounder is expected to play a pivotal role with the bat for his team against KKR as well.
However, Varun Chakravarthy could trouble the swashbuckling batter with his crafty spin bowling. Chakravarthy got the better of Stoinis when the two sides met earlier in IPL 2024.
Furthermore, Stoinis has struggled against spinners this season, getting out to them six times. Chakravarthy has 13 wickets and an economy rate of 8.64 to his name in this edition.
KL Rahul (LSG) vs Mitchell Starc (KKR)
Lucknow skipper KL Rahul is currently his team's leading run-getter in IPL 2024, chalking up 406 runs in 10 innings at an average of 40.60 and a strike rate of 142.95.
The ace opener's contest against KKR's pace bowling spearhead Mitchell Starc could be a mouth-watering one for the fans. The left-arm pacer is yet to take Rahul's wicket in the format.
Starc will be high on confidence after delivering an impactful spell against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Kolkata's previous fixture. He finished with figures of 3.5-0-33-4.
Mohsin Khan (LSG) vs Sunil Narine (KKR)
Lucknow's left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan has a knack for picking up wickets with the new ball. LSG would want him to provide an early breakthrough by dismissing the dangerous Sunil Narine.
Mohsin has claimed 11 wickets from 19 innings while bowling in the powerplay. He dismissed Narine for just six runs earlier in IPL 2024 as well.
It is worth mentioning that the KKR opener has struggled against left-arm pacers this year, scoring 61 runs from 46 balls while getting out thrice to them. Narine, however, has shown wonderful batting form in IPL 2024, amassing 380 runs from 10 matches at an average of 38.00 and a strike rate of 179.24