LSG vs MI Match Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2023 Eliminator match?
The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are in another Indian Premier League (IPL) Eliminator, and they'll be up against another high-profile franchise in the clash this year.
After falling to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at this stage last season, LSG will want to go one step further by beating the Mumbai Indians (MI) this term. The contest will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, May 24.
Towards the end of the league stage, LSG and MI met in an encounter at the Ekana Stadium that was expected to shape the playoff race in a big way. The former triumphed on that occasion, with Mohsin Khan holding his nerve against Tim David and Cameron Green in the final over.
That win probably put MI out of the reckoning for a top-two spot, and they will now have to take the hard road to the final. They lost their previous game at Chepauk in IPL 2023, but so did their opponents at the start of the season.
Interestingly, Mumbai have never beaten Lucknow in the IPL in three attempts. LSG have defended totals on all three instances but that won't be easy in Chennai, with dew likely to play a role on Wednesday.
Which team will set up a meeting with the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad on Friday, May 26?
IPL 2023, LSG vs MI Match Prediction: Spin to win once again at Chepauk?
The square at Chepauk has produced a few batting beauties this season, but the pitches have grown slower with time in IPL 2023. The wicket for the Eliminator is, in all likelihood, going to offer some grip and turn.
If that happens, LSG might be in a better place. Their fast bowlers all employ cutters to great effect, and they have quite a few spin options in Ravi Bishnoi, Amit Mishra, Krishnappa Gowtham and Krunal Pandya.
At the same time, though, you can never count out MI's power-packed batting lineup. Rohit Sharma has played a few important knocks for the side in the recent past, while Cameron Green burst into life with a sensational hundred to clinch a playoff spot for the franchise. Not much needs to be said about Suryakumar Yadav.
MI might be slightly concerned about Piyush Chawla's form. The leg-spinner is their leading wicket-taker this season but has conceded more than 35 runs in three of his last four matches and has picked up only three wickets in that period. Chawla could be picked apart by players like Nicholas Pooran if he gets his lengths wrong, even at Chepauk.
On paper, both teams are quite evenly matched and come into this game in good form. However, MI's batting lineup might not be at its best in Chennai, where LSG could be able to choke their opponents and turn in a better batting performance.
Anything can happen in a knockout game, and if there's one team that knows how to win big matches, it's the five-time champions. Lucknow might hold the slightest of edges for this contest, though.
Prediction: LSG to win the Eliminator of IPL 2023.