In many ways, this has been the most surprising of Indian T20 League seasons, with the two most successful teams in the competition’s history stuck at the bottom of the table. To add to that shock, the two new franchises sit at the top of the table. Gujarat are already certain of a play-off spot, while Lucknow will join them if they get a victory over Kolkata. For Kolkata, who started the season so brightly with 3 wins from 4 games, defeat could well mean the end of the road.
Lucknow Team come into this game having won 4 of their last 5 matches. K.L. Rahul and Q. de Kock have provided runs at the top of the order, and though none of their established bowlers has been outstanding, they’ve performed well as a unit. M. Khan has been a revelation when given his chance.
For Kolkata, not a lot has gone according to plan. P. Cummins won them a game with the bat, but was in dreadful form with the ball. V. Iyer and V. Chakravarthy couldn’t repeat their successes of 2021 and have both lost their places in the side. However, A. Russell has been superb in a couple of matches, while S. Narine has been incredibly economical without taking many wickets.
Both batting and bowling need to step up a couple of gears if Kolkata are to make a late charge into the play-offs as they did in 2021. They have no margin for error, while Lucknow know they will get more chances to seal their play-offs berth.
Match Details
- Match: Lucknow vs. Kolkata, Match 53
- Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
- Date & Time: May 7, 2022, at 7:30 PM IST
Lucknow vs. Kolkata Match 53 Probable Playing XIs
Team Lucknow
Q. de Kock (WK), K.L. Rahul (C), D. Hooda, M. Stoinis, K. Pandya, A. Badoni, J. Holder, M. Khan, A. Khan, D. Chameera, R. Bishnoi
Team Kolkata
B. Indrajith (WK), A. Finch, S. Iyer (C), N. Rana, R. Singh, A. Roy, A. Russell, S. Narine, T. Southee, U. Yadav, S. Mavi
Kolkata vs Lucknow HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
With this being Lucknow’s first season in the competition, the two sides have never met before.
Weather Report
Despite it being summer in Pune, the players should enjoy pleasant weather, with a temperature of around 27°C at the start of play.
Pitch Report For Lucknow vs. Kolkata Match
This has definitely been the venue where making runs has been harder than at others. No target over 170 has been chased, while two totals below 155 have been defended.
Toss
Of the 10 matches played here, 7 have been won by the side batting first. This includes each of the last 4 games.
TOP FANTASY PICKS For Lucknow vs. Kolkata Match
Team Lucknow
- KL. Rahul may have left Punjab after 4 stellar seasons there, but as captain of a new team, he’s well on course for a 5th consecutive 500-run season. His 451 runs have come at a healthy strike rate of 145.02, and only J. Buttler has made more than his 2 hundreds this season.
- K. Pandya may have left the Mumbai team that made him a star, but there’s been no let up in his performances. So far this season, he has scored 128 runs at a strike rate of 143.82 and taken 9 wickets with a brilliant economy rate of 6.64.
- M. Khan was expected to be a reserve when the season began but ended up making a stunning impact with 8 wickets from four matches. The economy rate of 6.07 has been superb too.
Team Kolkata
- S. Iyer had a wonderful start to life as Kolkata’s captain, but both he and the team have lost their way in recent weeks. Despite that, he has made 324 runs at a strike rate of 133.33.
- A. Russell continues to influence matches with both bat and ball. He has smashed 227 runs at a tremendous strike rate of 175.96. Though he has been expensive with the ball, he has 10 wickets to show for his efforts.
- U. Yadav has struggled to find the red-hot form of the opening week, but he has still been Kolkata’s best bowler, taking 15 wickets while conceding just 7.15 runs an over. With P. Cummins out of the XI after proving to be expensive, there’s been even more responsibility on Yadav’s shoulders.
Lucknow vs. Kolkata Match HOWZAT DREAM TEAM
- Wicketkeepers: KL. Rahul, Q. de Kock
- Batters: S. Iyer, D. Hooda, N. Rana
- All-rounders: A. Russell, K. Pandya, J. Holder
- Bowlers: U. Yadav, M. Khan, T. Southee
- Captain: KL. Rahul/Q. de Kock
- Vice Captain: U. Yadav/S. Iyer
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own team from today’s fantasy match prediction and play all the fantasy cricket matches of the Indian T20 League 2022. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team playing.
Download the favorite fantasy cricket app and select your own team, Howzat!
