Indian T20 League 2023

LUC vs BLR, 43rd Match

Preview 

On Monday, 1st May, Lucknow (LUC) will face Bangalore (BLR) at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow for the 43rd game of IPL 2023. Both teams will be aiming for a victory to boost their chances of making it to the playoffs, making the match even more intriguing. 

LUC had a fantastic game against PBKS in their previous match, scoring over 250 runs. Kyle Mayers, Ayush Badoni, Nicolas Pooran, and Marcus Stoinis all contributed with the bat, and their bowlers, including Stoinis, Mayers, Avesh Khan, Amit Mishra, and Ravi Bishnoi, put in solid performances.

Meanwhile, BLR will be looking to regain their momentum after their loss to KOL in their last match. Their top-order batsmen need to fire, and their middle-order needs to step up as well. Siraj is currently in excellent form for BLR as a bowler, and they need more substantial performances from other bowlers like Harshal Patel. In spin bowling, they have the in-form Hasaranga, who took crucial wickets in their previous match.

Ahead of this tantalising tie, let us have a look at how the two sides will fare out on Monday. 

Match Details

Match: LUC vs BLR, 43rd Match, Indian T20 League 2023

Date: Monday, May 01, 2023

Time: 7:30 PM

Venue: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

Pitch and Weather Report

At Ekana Stadium, the pitch offers advantages to both pace and spin bowlers, making it a balanced playing field for both. Additionally, the presence of dew during night games adds another element to consider. As a result, the team winning the toss is expected to choose to bowl first, as it is comparatively more advantageous to chase on this ground.

Clear skies with no prospects of rain in the evening are forecasted on matchday. 

LUC vs BLR Squads

LUC: KL Rahul (c), Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Ayush Badoni, Naveen-ul-Haq, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Yash Thakur, Krishnappa Gowtham, Daniel Sams, Prerak Mankad, Amit Mishra, Mark Wood, Jaydev Unadkat, Manan Vohra, Quinton de Kock, Swapnil Singh, Romario Shepherd, Arpit Guleria, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Karan Sharma

BLR: Virat Kohli (c), Shahbaz Ahmed, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Suyash Prabhudessai, Wanindu Hasaranga, David Willey, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Faf du Plessis, Akash Deep, Karn Sharma, Finn Allen, Anuj Rawat, Michael Bracewell, Siddarth Kaul, Sonu Yadav, Manoj Bhandage, Wayne Parnell, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, Himanshu Sharma

LUC vs BLR Probable Playing XIs

LUC: KL Rahul (c), Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Ayush Badoni, Naveen-ul-Haq/Amit Mishra, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Yash Thakur

BLR: Virat Kohli (c), Faf du Plessis, Shahbaz Ahmed,  Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Suyash Prabhudessai, Wanindu Hasaranga, David Willey, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj

Match Prediction

LUC hold an edge in their upcoming match due to their familiarity with the home pitches. However, they cannot underestimate the challenge posed by BLR, who possess the skill and talent to excel on pitches that suit their bowlers. This is particularly relevant for the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, which could prove to be a testing ground for both teams.

Top Fantasy Picks

Kyle Mayers: The West Indian powerhouse has made a blistering start to his Ind T20 League career, amassing 297 runs in 8 innings. In the last game against PUN, Mayers scored a 24-ball 54. 

Marcus Stoinis: The Australian international was clinical with both bat and ball against PUN. Brimming with confidence Stoinis would look to continue his all-round heroics. 

Virat Kohli:  He has been a roll in this tournament so far. With 333 runs in 8 innings, Kohli is third in the orange cap race. 

Faf Du Plessis: The BLR skipper had a rare off day with the bat against KOL. He is currently the leading run-scorer with 422 runs under his belt. 

Risky Captaincy Choice

Ayush Badoni played a wonderful knock against KOL coming to bat at four. He rotates the strike at regular intervals and is capable enough to hit the big shots when required 

Suggested Playing XI Real11 Fantasy Cricket

Team 1

Team 2