LSG vs MI Eliminator Match Prediction

LSG vs MI Team Previews

Lucknow Super Giants

The Lucknow Super Giants have had a mixed bag of a season so far. After making a strong start, they faltered a bit during the middle stages and even saw one of their games getting washed away. However, 3 consecutive wins towards the end of the group stage saw them through, claiming the 3rd place on the table.

The team will be looking to continue with that momentum as they face stiff resistance from the Mumbai Indians in this knockout match.

While there have been no standout performers with the bat, the Lucknow Super Giants have batted well as a unit, which is a positive thing for them. The team has a strong opening pair in the form of Kyle Mayers and Quinton de Kock. Mayers had a brilliant start to the season but his form has dipped a bit in the last few matches.

LSG has not played Mayers in the last few matches but to leave such a proven match-winner out in an Eliminator may not be the right choice.

De Kock’s exploits in T20s are well-documented and LSG will be banking on him to play a big inning here. Marcus Stoinis, Ayush Badoni, and Nicholas Pooran make up for a strong middle order. We see the middle-order playing a massive role in this contest.

If the pitch is slow, players like Stoinis, Badoni, and Pooran will be instrumental in trying to get their team to an above-par total.

The bowling hasn’t been the biggest strength for the Super Giants this season. While Ravi Bishnoi has bowled well, the other spinners, including Krunal Pandya and Krishnappa Gowtham haven’t been that consistent. The seam bowling has been a hit or a miss, as Yash Thakur and Naveen ul-Haq haven’t been able to take too many wickets. 

A slow wicket, similar to what LSG plays on at home may backfire. LSG's home record this season has been dismal and we think it would rather play on a good batting surface.

Mumbai Indians

The Mumbai Indians didn’t have the best of starts this season. Losing 4 of their first 7 matches, their fortunes were hanging by the thread right till the last moment. However, some excellent batting by Cameron Green in the last group stage fixture and a couple of favorable results from the other teams meant that the Mumbai Indians scraped through to fight another day.

Ishan Kishan has been striking the ball well at the top of the order, scoring 3 half-centuries. The fans will also be delighted to see Rohit Sharma finally among the runs as he scored a half-century in the last match. The middle-order batting had been one of the strong points for the Mumbai Indians this season as Suryakumar Yadav and Cameron Green are playing extremely well.

Tim David and Nehal Wadhera have played some good cameos and they add depth to the batting.

There are no two ways about it. MI has the strongest batting lineup and backs itself to simply outscore the opposition. A slow surface in Chennai could test its lineup but we have faith in the likes of SKY and David to find a way.

Talking about the bowling, Piyush Chawla has been the pick of the bowlers with 20 wickets. Chris Jordan hasn’t been in the best of forms with the new ball, but Jason Behrendorff has done well so far. Depending on the conditions, MI may be tempted to leave Behrendorff out. Jordan bowled well at the death in the previous match but he could be cannon-fodder to the likes of Stoinis and Pooran.

Akash Madhwal is shaping up to be a good bowler at the death and will play a vital role here.