Lucknow, Apr 21: The form of the middle order, particularly that of skipper Riyan Parag, will be a key concern as Rajasthan Royals look to arrest a slide after back-to-back defeats when they take on a struggling Lucknow Super Giants in an IPL match, here on Wednesday.
Placed third in the points table, the inaugural edition champions began their campaign with four successive wins but have since faltered in their last two outings.
They suffered a 57-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad after collapsing dramatically, losing five wickets for nine runs against pace.
In their previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders, RR let a strong position slip as Rinku Singh engineered a stunning turnaround to hand KKR their first win in seven matches this season.
As for Parag, a surprise choice as their skipper after Sanju Samon’s exit, has endured a pathetic run with the bat, registering three single-digit scores in six innings with a highest of just 20 so far.
The top-three, in Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel, has been RR’s main force with the bat this season, but the side has often struggled when they fail.
While Parag is woefully out of touch, veteran Ravindra Jadeja has looked a shadow of his past self, while Guyanese big-hitter Shimron Hetmyer (39 runs from four innings) is yet to fire.
However, batting coach Vikram Rathour has backed his skipper to come good.
“As far as I am concerned, it is just a matter of time. Not everyone makes runs every time,” Rathour had said of Parag’s poor run, after their defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens.
“Teams run in such a way that some stay in form, some stay out of form. There is no doubt that he will come back and win us a few games on his own as a batter.”
Fielding has also been a concern for RR. Nandre Burger dropped Rinku on 8, a lapse that proved costly as he, along with Anukul Roy, turned the game in the death overs.
However, despite the setbacks, RR appear a stronger unit than LSG, who are languishing in ninth place after three consecutive losses.
RR boast one of the most effective opening pairs this season, with Sooryavanshi in fine form and Jaiswal providing consistent starts.
LSG bowlers will need early breakthroughs to stay competitive.
However, that may not be easy as LSG’s bowling attack is reeling after being taken apart by Punjab Kings.
Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly powered PBKS to 254/7 — the highest total of the season — en route to a 54-run win.
Arya and Connolly shared a 182-run stand for the second wicket in just 13.2 overs, putting the LSG attack under severe pressure.
Prince Yadav has been a rare bright spot with figures of 2/25, while pacers Avesh Khan and Mohammed Shami have struggled for control. Manimaran Siddharth has also been expensive.
LSG will hope to target RR’s fragile middle order.
The Lucknow batting unit, too, looks unsettled and they are still trying to figure out their best XI.
The decision to promote Ayush Badoni to open alongside Mitchell Marsh did not yield results.
Marsh though scored back-to-back 40s but has failed to convert starts, while captain Rishabh Pant has also not delivered consistently.
Nicholas Pooran’s poor form has further compounded their problems.
For LSG to turn things around, their batting and bowling have to fire collectively.
Teams (from):
LSG: Rishabh Pant (c), Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Mukul Choudhary, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshin Kulkarni, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ayush Badoni, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, M Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar, Anrich Nortje, Naman Tiwari, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan.
Rajasthan Royals: Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Aman Perala, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Adam Milne, Brijesh Sharma, Jofra Archer, Kuldeep Sen, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger, Ravi Bishnoi, Sandeep Sharma.
Match starts: 7.30 pm. (PTI)
