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If no play is possible, RCB will be eliminated as they are placed fourth in the points table.
The Lucknow Super Giants will be taking on the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator of the IPL 2022 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on May 25. Unlike Qualifier 1, the losing team will not get a second chance and will be knocked out of the competition. Both teams will be heading into this knockout clash having won their respective last league matches.
Lucknow survived Rinku Singh’s scare in the death overs against the Kolkata Knight Riders to secure a hard-fought two-run win after an unbeaten 210-run opening stand between skipper KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock. RCB, on the other hand, registered an emphatic eight-wicket win in their last league fixture against the table-toppers Gujarat Titans in a must-win encounter. In the end, Mumbai Indians’ five-wicket win over the Delhi Capitals made it mathematically possible for them to seal a playoff berth.
The inclement weather conditions in Kolkata are expected to play a spoilsport in this contest. There is no reserve day in place for the Qualifiers and the Eliminator and if no play is possible, RCB will be eliminated as they are placed fourth in the points table with an NRR of -0.253.
Pitch and conditions
The Eden Gardens pitch turns slower as the contest progresses and it will not be an easy batting surface. The batters must resort to a cautious approach on this wicket rather than going for aggressive shots right away. The spinners would be hoping to make merry on this surface and RCB have Wanindu Hasaranga in their arsenal who is one of the strong contenders for this year’s Purple Cap. Therefore, the captain winning the toss will bat first.
Playing combinations for LSG vs RCB
Lucknow Super Giants
The Lucknow Super Giants might make a few changes ahead of this must-win match by bringing back all-rounder Krunal Pandya in place of Manan Vohra. Apart from that, the team management could bring back the likes of Krishnappa Gowtham and the hard-hitting Windies batter Evin Lewis ahead of Ayush Badoni and Dushmantha Chameera.
Predicted XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), KL Rahul (c), Evin Lewis, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Marcus Stoinis, Jason Holder, Krishnappa Gowtham, Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi
Royal Challengers Bangalore
The Royal Challengers Bangalore will not be looking to make any changes in their lineup and would stick to the same XI that had featured against GT a few days ago. However, they would be hoping to click as a unit instead of being overdependent on a couple of players as they look to break the Eliminator jinx after two unsuccessful attempts in the 2020 and 2021 editions.
Predicted XI: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasranga, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood
LSG vs RCB Head-to-Head
Played – 1 | LSG – 0 | RCB – 1
LSG vs RCB Broadcast Details
Match Timings – 07:30 PM IST
TV – Star Sports Network
Live Streaming – Disney+Hotstar
