Indian T20 League 2022: Match 53- Lucknow vs Kolkata- Preview, Playing XIs, Pitch Report & Updates

The 53rd match of the Indian T20 League 2022 will see two emerging captains take on each other. Shreyas Iyer's Kolkata will go head-on with KL Rahul's Lucknow in the match. The two teams have had contrasting fortunes this year.

Lucknow, with seven wins in 10 games, stand second on the points table. Kolkata, on the other side, has only won four out of their 10 games. They are at eighth on the points table. The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune will host the encounter.

Team Updates

Lucknow

Lucknow have won their last three games and appear to be in good form. KL Rahul, the captain has led the team from the front. The likes of Deepak Hooda, Quinton de Kock, and Mohsin Khan, among others, have done well for the team as well. In the upcoming game against Kolkata, KL Rahul and Co. would be looking to extend the winning momentum.

Besides, all-rounders such as Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, and Marcus Stoinis are expected to contribute more to the team's cause. The team should not look to make any changes to their playing XI.

Players to watch out for

KL Rahul- KL Rahul has been brilliant both as a captain and an opener for Lucknow this season. He has 451 runs to his name at an average of 56.37. He also has scored two centuries and two half-centuries in the season. The management would expect him to continue his form.

Mohsin Khan- Mohsin Khan has impressed one and all since making his debut this season for the team. He has only played four games this season and has grabbed eight wickets already. He also has been very economical by conceding just 6.07 runs per over.

Probable Playing XI

KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jason Holder, Dushmantha Chameera, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi

Kolkata

The Kolkata team management will be very pleased with the middle order getting back into the form. In the last match against Rajasthan, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, and Rinku Singh all made handy contributions to end their five-match losing streak.

The men in purple, however, will need to be consistent if they are to make the playoffs. They are on thin ice, and every win will matter to them from here on.

The bowling, on the other hand, has been consistent. Tim Southee and Umesh Yadav, in particular, have been excellent with the ball for them. In the next game, Kolkata, too, will not look to make any changes in their playing XI.

Players to watch out for

Rinku Singh- Rinku Singh played a match-winning knock of 42 runs in the last game against Rajasthan. He will be high on confidence and would look to replicate a similar performance against Lucknow.

Shreyas Iyer- Shreyas Iyer has been the men in purple's most consistent player. In the ten matches he has played, he has scored 324 runs at an average of 36. The Kolkata team will rely heavily on him to perform well on Saturday.

Probable Playing XI

Aaron Finch, Sunil Narine, Shreyas Iyer (c), Baba Indrajith (wk), Nitish Rana, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Shivam Mavi

Pitch Report

The track at the Maharashtra Cricket Stadium has slowed down a bit, but not as much as other venues. The spinners received a lot of assistance in the last game played here. The batters will have to take their time to settle in the middle. The team winning the toss would want to bowl first in these conditions.

Match Details

Date- 7th May 2022

Time- 7:30 p.m (IST)

Venue- Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune

Broadcast- Star Sports Network, Disney+ Hotstar