Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Lucknow Super Giants Predictions: Royals need a victory to wash off previous humiliating defeat

Playing in their third game of the season Royal Challengers Bangalore will welcome Lucknow Super Giants in the 15th game of the season at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on 10th April. The teams have started their campaigns in very contrasting manners and the home side needs a win to boost their morale. Who will win this game?

RCB has had a mixed start to their IPL 2023 campaign with one dominating win and one defeat where they struggled. The team heavily relies on their openers and if they fail to provide a solid foundation, the middle order tends to crumble. The opening partnership will consist of Kohli and du Plessis. While Kohli has a strike rate of 100 in the two games, du Plessis has scored 96 runs in the previous season against LSG, making him another key player to watch out for.

Bracewell batted at number three in the last game but only managed to score 19 runs. To make the most of his hitting abilities, Bracewell should ideally bat at number five, following the New Zealand strategy. Anuj Rawat might come in at number three depending on the game's situation. Maxwell has struggled with his form after returning from injury and has only scored 17 runs in the first two games. Karthik, on the other hand, has an impressive strike rate of 161.29 against LSG, and his late-order heroics might come in handy if the top order fails to deliver.

RCB's bowling unit has been their weakest link, conceding a lot of runs in the last overs. Willey has been impressive, taking 2 for 16 in the last game, including a maiden over. Hasaranga, who was the second-highest wicket-taker in the last IPL with 26 wickets in 16 games, is set to join the team on the 8th, but his inclusion in the playing XI is still in doubt.

Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Michael Bracewell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, David Willey, Karn Sharma, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj

Lucknow is coming into the game on the back of a win. They have won two out of three games played in this IPL. KL Rahul will be relishing the opportunity to face RCB as he has an impressive average of 76.25 in 13 games against his former franchise. He has scored 610 runs in 13 games at a strike rate of 147.70 and will be the key player for LSG. The team is unsure about how to fit Quinton de Kock into the lineup, but Kyle Myers has secured his place in the team after scoring two half-centuries and maintaining an economy of 7 while bowling.

Krunal Pandya had an outstanding performance against SRH, taking three wickets with the ball and scoring 34 runs with the bat. He has scored 152 runs and taken 12 wickets in 14 games against RCB. Nicholas Pooran has also been in good form, scoring 79 runs in three games at a strike rate of 175.55.

Despite missing Mark Wood and Avesh Khan, LSG managed to win their last game, and both of them will be returning against RCB. Wood, who is currently holding the Purple Cap with 8 wickets in 2 games, will be their top bowler with his impressive pace. Ravi Bishnoi will lead the spin attack, having taken 6 wickets in 3 games at an economy of 6.25. Amit Mishra made his debut for LSG in the last game, taking 2 wickets at an economy of 5.75. It will be intriguing to see how LSG's spinners will fare against RCB's batters, who lost 9 wickets to KKR's spin attack in their previous game.

KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock, Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Krunal Pandya, Amit Mishra, Mark Wood, Yash Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Ravi Bishnoi

The Bengaluru-based Chinnaswamy Stadium is a batting-friendly venue, where the batters tend to dominate the game. The small size of the ground also adds to the high-scoring nature of the matches played here. A score of 180 or above can be considered a good one on this pitch. Out of the 16 T20Is played at this venue, the team batting second has won 9 times while the team batting first has won 6 times. Moreover, in the last 8 IPL games, 6 matches have been successfully chased down. Hence, it is advisable for the team winning the toss to opt for bowling first. We expect LSG to dominate this game due to their better bowling abilities and will win the game.