IPL 2023, LSG vs MI (Eliminator): Decoding the key battles

Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians will face off in the Eliminator of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on May 24. LSG have proven their mettle this season too by qualifying, while MI will look to use their experience of the IPL playoffs. Both sets of players will be itching to prove a point on the big stage. Here are the key battles.

Quinton de Kock will be key to LSG's plans in this game. He will be responsible for giving them a solid start, whereas Jason Behrendorff will look to remove him early. De Kock has amassed 1,701 runs in the Powerplay in IPL at 39.55. He has fallen in this phase 43 times in 96 IPL outings. Meanwhile, Behrendorff snapped eight powerplay wickets this season.

Piyush Chawla will play a big role for MI in this match, given the conditions. His primary challenge will be to dismiss Nicholas Pooran cheaply. Pooran likes to take the attack to the opposition spinners. This season, he has slammed 221 runs in the middle overs (SR: 166.16). Meanwhile, Chawla has snapped 18 wickets in that phase, the highest by any bowler this season.

Suryakumar Yadav started slowly but has returned to form as the tournament has progressed. He is pivotal to MI's plans in the playoffs. However, his biggest test will be LSG's Ravi Bishnoi. SKY has fallen to the wrist spinner thrice in six IPL outings and has batted with a paltry strike rate of 116. Bishnoi has scalped 15 wickets in the middle overs (7-16).

Chepauk's spin-friendly conditions may force LSG to use Amit Mishra, and his experience will surely come in handy for them. He has a positive matchup against Ishan Kishan. LSG skipper Krunal Pandya may use this very strategically. Kishan has fallen to Mishra thrice in as many outings. The southpaw has been dismissed by spinners eight times in 11 innings this season (SR: 131.35).

The MA Chidambaram Stadium will host the Eliminator on May 24 from 7:30pm IST. The pitch here is traditionally slow and will aid the spinners. 8.40 reads the average run rate for teams batting first here this season. Chasing teams have won four out of seven games at this venue. Star Sports will telecast the match, while fans can also live-stream it on JioCinema.