Rajasthan Royals (RR) will play their first home game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2024. The match is set to take place at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on the 24th of March 2024 at 3:30 PM (IST).
Both the teams would be looking forward to starting their campaign in the IPL 2024 on a good note. The key for success would be to gauge the conditions and adapt accordingly.
Jaipur is usually good for the batters in the early stage of the tournament. Later in the league, the wicket could assist the bowlers. Both batters and bowlers have a good chance of succeeding in the first match at the venue. It will be an interesting match, as both the teams know each other well since the last couple of seasons. The players know how the wicket behaved in the last season.
Both the teams have some of the best players in the world. RR has the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, and Sanju Samson who are aggressive at the top. To follow them are Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, and Rovman Powell who can be key in the middle order. With the bowling, RR have the luxury of some great bowlers like Trent Boult, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Avesh Khan.
LSG have some terrific players as well. At the top, they have the fire power of Quinton De Kock, Kyle Mayers, and Nicholas Pooran in addition to Devdutt Padikkal. In a new role, KL Rahul will bat in the middle order alongside Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Deepak Hooda, and Ayush Badoni. Their bowling unit consisits of Naveen-ul-Haq, Shamar Joseph, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Mohsin Khan, and others.
Here are the key players battles to watch out for in the game between RR and LSG –
1) Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Mohsin Khan
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Mohsin Khan (Source -Twitter/X)
Yashasvi Jaiswal is one of the best batters in the world currently. More importantly, he is highly impactful and does not hesitate to take down the best bowlers in the world. In the last season, the youngster was highly impressive with his terrific performances. Since then, the star batter has grown in stature.
To counter him, Mohsin Khan could be the best option. The left-arm pacer can bring the ball back into the left handers with his seam bowling. He can also take them away from the southpaw with an outswinger. Khan operates at a good pace and can trouble the RR batter with his skill sets and execution.
2) Sanju Samson vs Ravi Bishnoi
Sanju and Bishnoi (Source -Twitter/X)
Sanju Samson is one of the best players of spin in the league. The star batter can take the spinners to the cleaners in the middle overs and make in impact on the run rate. He often hits a lot of sixes to put pressure back on the bowlers. Once set, the right-handed batter can be difficult to be stopped.
At the other end, LSG have Ravi Bishnoi, who has made a name for himself at the highest level. He had a very good year in 2023 in the IPL and at the international level, where he became the number one ranked bowler. Bishnoi has what it takes to stop Smason. He can mix up googlies with leg breaks.
3) Nicholas Pooran vs Ravichandran Ashwin
Pooran and Ashwin (Source -Twitter/X)
Nicholas Pooran is one of the most aggressive batters in the world currently. The southpaw has no mercy for the bowlers whatsoever. It is not easy to stop Pooran when he is in flow. On his day, the West Indian batter can win matches on his own. In the middle overs phase, he can change matches in a matter of few overs.
It is not easy to stop NIcholas with traditional ways. There needs to be improvisation. That is where Ravichandran Ashwin comes into the picture. He is experienced and has a lot of variations like carrom ball, flipper, off break, and other deliveries. Ashwin has the ability to not just stop Pooran, but also claim his wicket.
4) KL Rahul vs Yuzvendra Chahal
KL Rahul and Chahal (Source -Twitter/X)
KL Rahul is likely to bat in the middle order in IPL 2024. Given how the Indian lineup is stacked up at the top, the star batter would try and prove himself as a wicket-keeper batter in the middle order. In the IPL 2016, Rahul was brilliant as a middle order batter with intent and consistency. It will be interesting to see how he bats in the middle order.
As Rahul would be aiming to make it to the T20 WC 2024 squad, Chahal would be aiming to do the same. The experienced spinner has not played for India in a long time and would be willing to put his best foot forward to make a case for himself. His battle against Rahul would be a good way to prepare for the big tournament.
5) Shimron Hetmyer vs Yash Thakur
Hetmayer and Thakur (Source -twitter/X)
Shimron Hetmyer has been one of the best finishers in the league in the last 3-4 seasons. The star batter has the ability to take his side to good totals with his power hitting. The Carribean star can bat well against both spinners and pacers which makes him a great asset to RR. His strike rate towards the last four overs makes him a dangerous batter.
To stop him, LSG have a weapon in Yash Thakur. In IPL 2023, the right-arm pacer was impressive for LSG. Particularly at the death, the youngster showed good skills and executed them well. He has variations like slower ones and cutters. More importantly, Thakur can nail yorkers, which can make the life of any batter difficult.