Is Naveen ul Haq playing today's KKR vs LSG match in IPL 2024?
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer Naveen-ul-Haq is not part of the playing XI for the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on Sunday.
Naveen has played in each of the five matches for LSG in the tournament so far, taking six wickets at an economy rate of 9.11. His best performance came at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where he returned figures of 2/25 in his side's win.
With LSG's three overseas players - Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, and Marcus Stoinis set in stone, they can only experiment with Naveen-ul-Haq's spot to give other overseas players a chance. Furthermore, with the contest against KKR being a grueling day game, and the fact that LSG played only a couple of days back, facilitated the change to rest and recover.
LSG Skipper KL Rahul confirmed that Naveen-ul-Haq is one of the names missing out of the playing XI, along with the under-performing Devdutt Padikkal and Arshad Khan.
"I would have bowled first too but not to disappointed to be batting first! It's about resting and recovering well and being switched on when we reach the ground. Quite a few changes in our squad as the likes of Shamar Joseph and Deepak Hooda come into the squad," KL Rahul said during the toss after being put into bat first by KKR.
LSG have never tasted defeat against KKR in the IPL, winning all three encounters against them since their inception in 2022.
How does LSG's bowling unit shape up without Naveen-ul-Haq?
West Indies international Shamar Joseph will be playing in the IPL for the first time and comes across as a huge prospect despite not having much experience in the shortest format of the game. LSG will rely on his pace and ability to nip the new ball around in Naveen-ul-Haq's absence.
In a huge boost for LSG, left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan also returns from injury. He had missed the last three matches, and his return means that Arshad Khan has to drop out after just one match. Yash Thakur also retains his place in the playing XI to complete the pace bowling unit.
The duo of Ravi Bishnoi and Krunal Pandya continue to be the spin attack of the side, while Manimaran Siddharth could come in as the impact player in the second innings as the third spinner.