"He played extremely slowly in the last match" - Aakash Chopra picks KL Rahul among LSG players in focus in IPL 2024 clash vs DC
Aakash Chopra has chosen Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper KL Rahul as one of their players to watch out for in their IPL 2024 clash against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in Delhi on Tuesday, May 14. He noted that the right-handed opener played a painstaking knock in LSG's 10-wicket defeat against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).
With 12 points from as many games and a net run rate of -0.769, LSG are placed seventh on the points table. They might need comprehensive wins in their remaining two league games to keep their playoff qualification hopes alive.
Previewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra picked Rahul as the first Lucknow Super Giants player in focus in Tuesday's game.
"Let's start with KL Rahul. He is the sort of player who you expect to do well. It's a small ground, the pitch has become flat here, and I don't see any major threat in the opposition who can trap him. He played extremely slowly in the last match. He would want to play slightly faster here. He will have the chance to score quicker here because the pitch will be very good," he reasoned (7:00).
"The ball will come nicely onto the bat, so it should go nicely off the bat as well. So KL Rahul will be the first player to watch out for, as a captain as well. Maybe you can bat first if you win the toss because there is the pressure of 250 on the opposing team later, and Delhi don't chase too well. You can ask Bengaluru. They lost by a huge margin while chasing there," the former India opener added.
Rahul is LSG's highest-run scorer in IPL 2024. He has aggregated 460 runs at an average of 38.33 and a strike rate of 136.09 in 12 innings this season.
"A mighty player who can change the game" - Aakash Chopra on LSG's Nicholas Pooran
![Nicholas Pooran has smashed 363 runs at a strike rate of 162.05 in 12 innings in IPL 2024. [P/C: iplt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/05/50fc7-17156604850633-1920.jpg?w=500)
Choosing Nicholas Pooran as the second Lucknow Super Giants player to watch out for, Aakash Chopra pointed out that the left-handed middle-order batter might be slightly wary of Kuldeep Yadav.
"Nicholas Pooran - a mighty player who can change the game. Whenever you go to a slightly flatter pitch and a small ground, there is more focus on him in any case. So I am going with Nicholas Pooran, that he should come and hit, although he shouldn't get trapped in Kuldeep's web. If I remember correctly, Kuldeep Yadav bowled him through the gate in Lucknow," he said (10:05).
The reputed commentator picked Marcus Stoinis as the third LSG player in focus against the Capitals.
"Marcus Stoinis is the third player. Their team is actually revolving around them. They have Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur, Naveen-ul-Haq, Ravi Bishnoi and Krunal Pandya in bowling for sure but you don't look at any of them and say that he is your four-over bank and a two-wicket bowler. Stoinis is the third player because he bats and bowls well. If he bowls, he is expensive but has got the wicket-taking knack," Chopra explained.
Stoinis has amassed 355 runs at a strike rate of 151.70 in 12 innings in IPL 2024. The seam-bowling all-rounder has also picked up four wickets at an economy rate of 9.00 in 14 overs this season.