LSG vs CSK Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2022 match between Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings?
Very few things changed in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad between the 2020 and 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons. The Indian batting core remained the same, the bowlers stayed decent if slightly unreliable options and the average age of the squad was still far higher than the average IPL-winning squad's.
But one key factor made all the difference for CSK as they overcame their playoff-absent season with a magnificent run to the IPL 2021 title and entered the list of IPL winners. Moeen Ali walked into their playing XI and made the No. 3 spot his own, catalyzing the batting lineup into action with his aggression in the middle overs and chipping in with a few overs when needed.
CSK will hope that the England all-rounder can produce a similar impact when he joins the IPL team for their second game of IPL 2022, which will be against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Thursday, March 31 at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Having served his quarantine period and taken part in a training session, Moeen is expected to replace Mitchell Santner in the CSK side.
Meanwhile, the Super Giants don't have much history to bank on and will instead take heart from their loss to the Gujarat Titans. LSG recovered from a miserable top-order batting performance to push the game into the last over before Avesh Khan got his lengths and variations all wrong at the death.
KL Rahul's captaincy also came under the scanner, not for the first time. The skipper handed Deepak Hooda and Ravi Bishnoi an over each in the last five, which turned the course of the game in the Titans' favor. His leadership, along with the top-order's displays, will be in the spotlight on Thursday.
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IPL 2022 Match Prediction: LSG vs CSK
CSK's top order didn't fare much better in their opening game against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway struggled for timing, while Robin Uthappa, Shivam Dube and Ambati Rayudu didn't contribute enough despite spending some time in the middle.
Perhaps the only positive for the Men in Yellow was MS Dhoni notching up his first fifty since IPL 2019, with Ravindra Jadeja having a nightmarish batting outing in his first game as CSK captain. But Moeen's arrival should take some pressure off the others.
CSK's bowling attack doesn't look too threatening right now. Without Deepak Chahar, they lack a powerplay enforcer who can put the LSG openers under pressure like Mohammed Shami did recently. Tushar Deshpande and Adam Milne didn't let themselves down against KKR, but they weren't exactly penetrative either.
Rahul will hope that his young middle order, comprising Deepak Hooda and Ayush Badoni among others, won't need to play as big a role. He will also hope that Quinton de Kock, Evin Lewis and Manish Pandey come to the party. Without Jason Holder and Marcus Stoinis, the middle order might not have it in them to pull off another rescue act in the event of a few early wickets.
The Brabourne Stadium produced a high-scoring encounter in the only IPL 2022 match it has hosted so far. The Delhi Capitals found batting to be far easier in the second innings against the Mumbai Indians, with their depth proving to be the difference-maker. In that regard, CSK are the slight favorites against LSG, although a close game is definitely on the cards.
Prediction: CSK to win Match 7 of IPL 2022