Picking a combined RCB-LSG playing 11 for IPL 2024 ft. Virat Kohli and Nicholas Pooran
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will face Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Match 15 of Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL) 2024 on Tuesday (April 2) in Bengaluru.
RCB are coming into this game after failing to defend 182 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). They have a solitary victory in three games and are at the penultimate position in the table.
Meanwhile, LSG have a single victory in two appearances this season. In their recent game, the Super Giants clinched a 21-run victory over the Punjab Kings.
As per head-to-head contests, RCB have an edge with three victories in four encounters. It will be interesting to see if the Lucknow-based franchise can win this game to improve their record against them.
On that note, let's check out the combined Playing XI of RCB-LSG for the IPL 2024.
Top-order: Virat Kohli, Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul
The opening combination for the team will be Virat Kohli and Quinton de Kock. In three games, Kohli has amassed 181 runs and is tied with Riyan Parag for the orange cap. De Kock impressed with his performance in the last game, scoring 54 off 38 and is a reliable contributor at the top.
At No. 3, KL Rahul will arrive at the crease due to his ability to bat at any position. The LSG skipper has accumulated 73 runs this season, with a top score of 58.
Middle-order: Glenn Maxwell, Nicholas Pooran, Krunal Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wk)
The overseas duo of Glenn Maxwell and Nicholas Pooran will be the No. 4 and No. 5 in this XI. Although, the 'Big Show' looked good in the last game with a knock of 28 off 19, he would want to convert his starts into a big innings. Furthermore, he could be handy with his off-spin as well.
The southpaw, Pooran hogged the limelight in the last game due to his scintillating knock of 42 off 21 balls. Then, the all-rounder Krunal Pandya, who scored 42 off 21 balls, will be the fifth bowler for this team. The finisher role will be donned by Dinesh Karthik, who has smashed 86 runs at a strike rate of 195.45 this season.
Bowlers: Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav
The bowling unit will be led by the experienced Mohammed Siraj. Although, the right-arm pacer has picked up two wickets in three games at an economy of 10, he is expected to secure breakthroughs in the powerplay overs.
Alongside Siraj will be the young duo of Mohsin Khan and Mayank Yadav. The left-arm pacer, Mohsin has been impressive with three scalps in two games. Meanwhile, Yadav shone brightly on his IPL debut, finishing with figures of 3/27 in four overs, while also bowling rockets of over 155 kph.
The spin department will be handled by Ravi Bishnoi, who has a single wicket in two games. But, as per his track record, Bishnoi is expected to be among the key wicket-takers in this game.