RCB aim for playoffs spot while LSG sweat in must-win situation
LSG will hope Pooran and Pant return to form before it's too late
Ashish Pant
08-May-2025 • 4 hrs ago
Big picture: Top two target vs playoffs survival
As Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) make their way to Lucknow for their final away game of IPL 2025, they will be keen on ticking off two things. One, a record seventh away win of the season and two, a playoffs spot (along with the top position for now).
It's been a clinical tournament so far for RCB. They have been excellent on the road and after two straight wins at the Chinnaswamy, they have bettered their home record as well. They are now one step away from becoming the first team to qualify for the playoffs. But that's not it. No team has ever won all their away league games in a season and RCB are one step away from achieving that as well.
They have a glorious chance to make it seven out of seven in away games against a beleaguered Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) side, who are coming into this game on the back of three successive defeats and four losses in the last five games. With five wins in 11 games and a net run rate of -0.469, LSG's chances of making it to the top four are slim, and a defeat at home will knock them out of the tournament completely.
After four wins in the first six games, not much has gone right for LSG, and it starts right from the top. The returns of their top three batters, who formed the bedrock of the line-up, have dwindled. Mitchell Marsh had 265 runs in the first five matches at a strike rate of 180. In his next five games, he has scored 113 at a strike of 118. Nicholas Pooran's scores have also seen a huge dip and while Aiden Markram has two fifties in his last five innings, he has been inconsistent.
With Rishabh Pant also in wretched form, LSG need to find a batting fix quickly against an RCB attack, which has been in decent nick.
RCB have fewer problems to deal with, and injuries to key players are one such issue. Josh Hazlewood (shoulder niggle) and Phil Salt (viral infection) missed RCB's previous game against Chennai Super Kings. Since then, a hamstring injury has ended Devdutt Padikkal's season, with Mayank Agarwal replacing him.
Form guide: RCB in the hunt for No. 7
Lucknow Super Giants LLLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru WWWWL
Royal Challengers Bengaluru WWWWL
The big question: The No. 3 conundrum
Padikkal had been crucial to RCB's success this year. In him RCB not only lose a batter in form but also a left-hander. Should they look to replace him with Mayank or with a left-hand batter at No. 3? There left-hand options are Manoj Bhandage or giving one of Krunal Pandya or Jacob Bethell a promotion.
In the spotlight: Nicholas Pooran and Krunal Pandya
After his exploits in the first half of the season, Nicholas Pooran's returns have seen a sharp decline. Pooran recorded four fifties in the first six matches and held the orange cap at one point. His scores in the last five matches, though, have been 6, 27, 9, 11 and 8, which have also coincided with LSG's poor show. While his returns have diminished, Pooran is still striking at 200.98, which is the highest for any batter (minimum 100 balls faced) this IPL. He also has a strike rate of 264 against spin this season, which could set up an exciting contest against the RCB spinners Krunal and Suyash Sharma.
Krunal Pandya will be up against his old side, where he stayed for three years and was also captain for a few games. He will have a point to prove after not being retained by LSG. Krunal has been critical to RCB's fortunes this year. He is already having his best season in terms of wickets (14). More importantly, all of his wickets have come in RCB's wins. Along with Suyash, Krunal has kept things tight in the middle overs, while also delivering a few important powerplay overs, by varying his speeds.
Team news: Will Salt and Hazlewood be back?
Hazlewood and Salt had missed RCB's last game, and it remains to be seen whether they will return for the LSG clash. Salt trained on Thursday evening, and if he is fit he could come in for Jacob Bethell, while Hazlewood is expected to come in place of Lungi Ngidi. RCB also need to find a replacement for Padikkal at No. 3.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable): 1 Jacob Bethell/Phil Salt, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Mayank Agarwal/Manoj Bhandage, 4 Rajat Patidar, 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Tim David, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Lungi Ngidi/Josh Hazlewood, 11 Yash Dayal, 12 Suyash Sharma
LSG have played Russian Roulette with their bowlers. In the last match, they brought in Akash Singh, who had a decent outing in place of Ravi Bishnoi. The conditions in Lucknow could see them bringing Bishnoi back in place of Prince Yadav, since it will be a black-soil pitch.
Lucknow Super Giants (probable): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 David Miller, 6 Ayush Badoni, 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Akash Singh, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Mayank Yadav, 11 Prince Yadav/Ravi Bishnoi, 12 Digvesh Rathi
Stats and trivia: Kohli on the cusp of another record
- Krunal has a terrific record against Markram in the IPL: three dismissals in eight balls, and an average of just 1.33
- Virat Kohli has scored seven half-centuries in IPL 2025, and each of those has come in a win. He also holds the record for most IPL fifties overall (62), with David Warner
- Pooran is on top of the list of most sixes hit this IPL: 34
- The RCB batters have the best run rate in death overs: 12.41. On the other hand, the RCB bowlers have been the joint-most economical in the death overs, going at just 10.22 an over
- The LSG bowlers have the worst powerplay economy rate in IPL 2025: 10.54
Pitch and conditions: Black soil pitch in Lucknow
Pitch no. 5, a black soil surface, will be used for this game, which could see the spinners come into play a little more. These two teams have faced each other at the Ekana just once in what was a low-scoring thriller where RCB defended 126 in IPL 2023. It is expected to be slightly cloudy, but there is no threat of rain. The temperature is expected to hover around the mid to late 30-degree mark on the Celsius scale.
Quotes
"My process before a game is to control the nerves, and not think too much about things that are not in my control. After what happened in 2023, I focus as much as possible on the process and execution, not the batsmen."
Yash Dayal is learning how to get better
Yash Dayal is learning how to get better
"We have been a little late in assessing the grounds and the wickets. We have made mistakes there, I'll accept that. But we have three matches and if we win that, there might be a chance we can make the playoffs."
Fast bowler Mayank Yadav is not giving up on LSG's playoffs chances
Fast bowler Mayank Yadav is not giving up on LSG's playoffs chances
Ashish Pant is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo