Indian T20 League 2022: Match 31- Lucknow vs Bangalore- Preview, Playing XI's, Pitch Report and Broadcast details

The 31st match of the Indian T20 League 2022 shall see Lucknow take on Bangalore.  The DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai shall host this match on the 19th of April. The Faf du Plessis-led side have played six games this season and have won four of them. They currently stand third in the points table. The men in mint green have also played six games this season and have won four. They are currently placed second in the points table due to a higher net run rate.

Team Updates

Lucknow

The KL Rahul-led team have looked in great touch in their debut season, and have maintained consistency throughout. The team has worked on their shortcomings with every match. While the top-order was not scoring quick runs earlier, that changed in their last game against Mumbai. They now have to be slightly better with the ball. Avesh Khan has been their best bowler. The other bowlers will have to take up more responsibility.

On the other hand, their batters have to maintain their form. All the players have a defined role this season and they are all living up to it. Thus, Lucknow wouldn't want to change their winning combination.

Players to watch out for

KL Rahul- KL Rahul became the second player to hit a century this season. He played his game with complete freedom and will look to do that in the next match as well. The 30-year old is currently the second-highest run-scorer of the season, with 235 runs in six games.

Avesh Khan- Avesh Khan has been brilliant with the ball as the youngster has picked the most wickets for his team so far. He has taken 11 wickets in the six games in which he has played. The pacer has an economy of 8.29 this season.

Probable Playing XI

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

Bangalore

Bangalore has looked like a completely different team this season. They have maintained the standard of their game throughout and will like to continue the same. However, there are some improvements that they need to make. Key players such as Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, and Mohammed Siraj will have to step up and help the team win matches. Du Plessis scored a half-century in the first match but hasn't done well after that.

Kohli, too, has reached his 40s twice but hasn't been able to convert them into bigger scores. Siraj, with the ball, has conceded runs at an economy of 10.25 and has only taken five wickets in this edition. However, Harshal Patel returned to the team in their match against Delhi. They will be expecting him to keep up the fantastic work he's done in the past.

Players to watch out for

Dinesh Karthik- Dinesh Karthik has been the best player for Bangalore this season. He has played the role of a finisher to perfection as he has scored 197 runs at a strike rate of 209. He would want to keep his form intact in the next match as well.

Glenn Maxwell- Glenn Maxwell, the Australian all-rounder, has played three matches but only got a chance to shine in the last game. He has scored 89 runs this season, which includes a half-century in the previous match.

Probable Playing XI

Faf du Plessis (c), Anuj Rawat, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Suyash Prabhudessai, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj

Pitch Report

As observed in the last game, the wicket at the DY Patil Stadium has started to slow down. Between Hyderabad and Punjab, little over 150 runs were scored by both sides. The team winning the toss would still want to bowl first.

Match Details

Date- 19th April 2022

Time- 7:30 p.m (IST)

Venue- DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai

Broadcast- Star Sports Network, Disney+ Hotstar