RCB middle-order holds the key against rampaging LSG

RCB are placed fifth among the 10 teams in IPL 2023 with 8 points from 8 outings while LSG are third with 10 from 8.

Royal Challengers Bangalore will aim to shed the over-reliance on their celebrated top-order when they face a belligerent Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL match in Lucknow on Monday.

RCB have struggled to maintain the momentum provided by Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell, who have done all the scoring in the eight games so far.

With most teams bunched closely in the standings, the margin for error has reduced in the second half of the competition.

RCB are placed fifth among the 10 teams in IPL 2023 with 8 points from 8 outings while LSG are third with 10 from 8.

Kohli, du Plessis and Maxwell can't be expected to do the job in every game and it is high time the likes of Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed and Dinesh Karthik step up.

The fielding and catching too needs to improve, something which was pointed out by Kohli himself after the loss to Kolkata Knight Riders.

The former India captain will continue to lead the side unless du Plessis, who has been used as an 'Impact Player', regains full fitness.

Mohammad Siraj is RCB’s stand out bowler and needs support from the other fast bowlers. Harshal Patel is tasked with bowling the tough overs but he would want to bring down his economy rate from 9.94.

LSG, on the other hand, head into the game after a thumping victory over Punjab Kings. The batting peroR

Skipper K L Rahul, however, will be the feeling heat and want to make a statement at LSG's home ground. The pitch in Lucknow has been bit of a let-down and worked against the strengths of the home team.

Offered a batting beauty in Mohali, the LSG batters went on the rampage but they have struggled due to the slow nature of the surface in Lucknow. Rahul and Co. are expected to put up a better show than what they managed in their previous home game as they failed to chase down 136 from a commanding position.

Spinners have enjoyed bowling in Lucknow, with Ravi Bishnoi shouldering the responsibility alongside Amit Mishra. Afghan pacer Naveen Ul Haq has been tidy in the absence of Mark Wood.

Avesh Khan has conceded close to 10 runs per over in seven games and would be looking to change that.

Squads:

Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (captain), Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Amit Mishra, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Naveen ul Haq, Ayush Badoni, Avesh Khan, Karan Sharma, Yudhvir Charak, Yash Thakur, Romario Shepherd, Mark Wood, Swapnil Singh, Manan Vohra, Daniel Sams, Prerak Mankad, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jaydev Unadkat, Marcus Stoinis, Ravi Bishnoi and Mayank Yadav.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (captain), Akash Deep, Finn Allen, Anuj Rawat, Avinash Singh, Manoj Bhandage, Michael Bracewell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Siddarth Kaul, Virat Kohli, Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Wayne Parnell, Harshal Patel, Suyash Prabhudessai, Rajan Kumar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Karn Sharma, Himanshu Sharma, Sonu Yadav, Vijaykumar Vyshak, David Willey.

Match starts: 7.30 IST.