The new season of the Indian Premier League has begun and it is now time for a doubleheader day in the tournament. On Saturday, in the second fixture, Lucknow Super Giants will host Delhi Capitals at Ekana Sports City stadium. Both the teams are coming for the new season after making required changes in the squad, hoping to do well.
Lucknow Super Giants had a positive outing in the last yearβs tournament. They finished their group stage by cementing the 3rd spot in the point table. The top bookmakers in India have odds out for IPL
Delhi Capitals were unlucky in the last season. The team finished in the fifth spot in the point table and missed the playoffs by 2 points.
Lucknow Super Giants will win the match without much of a trouble.
The betting tip is...
Total score of match 300 plus.
The biggest purchase for Lucknow was the West Indies wicket keeper, Nicholas Pooran. It will be interesting to see how the player will be used by the franchise considering skipper KL Rahulβs presence in the team. Lucknow also signed Daniel Sams and Amit Mishra. The franchise will also receive a big push with the presence of Jaydev Unadkat in the bowling segment.
Skipper KL Rahul will be expected to start the game with the best possible playing XI:
Predicted Lineup: KL Rahul (captain), Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Mark Wood, Avesh Khan.
Delhi Capitals were not very active during the IPL auctions held in Kochi. They have bought Mukesh Kumar for a price INR 5.5 Crore considering his domestic performance. The uncapped player will be a big help in solving the pace issues Delhi has seen in the past few years. The biggest attraction will be Phil Salt, who has done wonders in international cricket. Manish Pandey and Rilee Rossouw are also there to boost the batting lineup.
In the absence of injured Rishabh Pant, Australian batter David Warner will be leading the team.
Predicted Lineup: Prithvi Shaw, David Warner (captain), Mitchell Marsh, Manish Pandey, Phil Salt (wicket-keeper), Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Anrich Nortje, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Chetan Sakariya.
Delhi Capitals will be under new leadership in the absence of Rishabh Pant. They also have a weaker middle order because of the same reason. We predict a win for Lucknow Super Giants as the team looks much more balanced.