Last Updated on 5 months by Charbel Coorey

LSG vs RR Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible 11 Pitch Report: IPL 2022 Match 63 | LKN vs RR Dream11 Prediction Today | Lucknow Super Giants vs Rajasthan Royals Key Players | Brabourne Pitch Report

If you needed a picture on just how important this game is, check this out. Lucknow Super Giants, who are currently on 16 points, can sew up a top-two spot with a win here. However, a defeat will sink them into the mid-table logjam, and they will only sit two points clear of RCB and DC/PBKS by tomorrow.

The situation is even more critical for Rajasthan Royals. A win by a big enough margin today will see them overtake LSG into the top two with a game remaining. However, a defeat here and it will be time to worry, as they will be stuck on 14 with RCB (14), DC (12), KKR (12) and PBKS (12) all vying for a top four place. Win and it’s top two, lose and it’s risk missing the playoffs altogether. It’s that tight (Read the IPL 2022 scenarios here).

So, RR must turn around their recent form. Sanju Samson’s team has lost three of their past four matches, with a lack of clarity at times regarding their batting lineup. They need Buttler to deliver at the top as his form has cooled off, especially in the absence of Shimron Hetmyer. And, the experienced spin duo and the under-par Trent Boult need to lead the way with the ball.

Thus, an opportunity presents itself for LSG to prey on a team that is under a bit of pressure. They too will be looking for a response after getting rolled for 82 in their last match, but four wins in a row before that shows they mean business. If they can sort out that extra batsman in their XI, and make inroads into RR’s top order, a top two spot will await them.

Possible Playing 11

Lucknow Super Giants could bring Ravi Bishnoi back into their XI. They also have the option of Evin Lewis to shore up their batting.

Lucknow Super Giants: 1. Quinton de Kock (wk), 2. KL Rahul (c), 3. Deepak Hooda, 4. Karan Sharma/Evin Lewis, 5. Krunal Pandya, 6. Marcus Stoinis, 7. Ayush Badoni, 8. Jason Holder, 9. Mohsin Khan, 10. Dushmantha Chameera/K Gowtham, 11. Avesh Khan

Shimron Hetmyer is not available yet after the birth of his first child.

Rajasthan Royals: 1. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2. Jos Buttler, 3. Devdutt Padikkal, 4. Sanju Samson (c & wk), 5. Rassie van der Dussen, 6. Riyan Parag, 7. R Ashwin, 8. Trent Boult, 9. Prasidh Krishna, 10. Yuzvendra Chahal, 11. Kuldeep Sen

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Lucknow Super Giants:

• KL Rahul sits behind Jos Buttler with 459 runs in 12 innings this season. This includes a 60-ball 103* at Brabourne. Key player.
• Rahul has some strong numbers against RR’s key bowlers. He has struck 106 off 67 vs Chahal (one dismissal) and 110 off 63 vs Boult (two dismissals).
• Quinton de Kock has struck five double-figure scores in a row, but has gone past 25 just twice. Today, he will have to overcome some poor records against RR’s spinners: four dismissals in 75 balls vs Ashwin (84 runs) and six dismissals in 39 balls vs Chahal (44 runs).
• Deepak Hooda is LSG’s third-highest run-scorer behind Rahul and de Kock (347). In particular, he has been quite solid at number three, with scores of 34, 52, 41 and 27.
• Avesh Khan is the only bowler to take 5+ wickets in all stages of an innings (powerplay, middle, death). He dismissed Jos Buttler for 13 the last time these two teams met.
• Jason Holder to be used against Sanju Samson? The West Indian has a terrific record against the RR captain. He has dismissed Samson thrice in 35 balls and has only conceded 33.
• Mohsin Khan has been one of the shining lights among India’s talented uncapped players. The impressive left-arm seamer has taken 10 wickets in six innings this season, with the best economy (5.19) and best bowling average (10.90) of any player.

Rajasthan Royals:

• Like KL Rahul, Jos Buttler also struck a century in his last match on this ground (103 off 61 balls vs KKR). His battle with LSG’s powerplay bowlers will be huge, with eyes on he vs Mohsin. However, Buttler has good numbers against left-arm seam in the IPL: 34 inns, 334 runs, avg. 37.1, SR 141.5.
• RR can get the best out of Sanju Samson if he bats at three. He has scored 245 runs at an average of 40.83 in this position, compared to just 82 runs in five innings (avg. 16.40) in other spots.
• Yashasvi Jaiswal will be tasked with providing a fast start. He struck 68 off 41 balls two games ago and has scored 33 runs at a strike rate of 165 vs spin without dismissal this season.
• R Ashwin continues to produce the goods with bat and ball. Expect him to play the role of floater once again, and RR could use him in the powerplay with the ball given his good record vs de Kock and how he keeps KL Rahul quiet (has conceded just 16 off 20 balls).
• Yuzvendra Chahal was player of the match against LSG earlier this season (4/41). The equal leading wicket-taker (23) dismissed de Kock, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya and Dushmantha Chameera.
• Also, Chahal took 5/40 on this ground earlier this season in a memorable spell against KKR.
• Trent Boult to go around the wicket to KL Rahul? He bowled the LSG captain first ball with a dream delivery earlier this season. If RR are to fire, Boult has to play a key role.

Other Stats and Facts

• RR (165/6) beat LSG (162/8) earlier this season.
• Marcus Stoinis will be key as a finisher given RR have the worst economy rate at the death (11.86) this season. He struck 38* off 17 balls against RR earlier this season.
• LSG’s pace attack is leaving RR’s for dead. Their pace unit has taken 51 wickets, with the best average (23.10), second-best average (17.1) and best economy rate (8.11). RR on the other hand have taken just 37 wickets (the least of all teams).
• Sanju Samson has smashed 14 sixes in just 84 deliveries vs spin this season. That’s a six every six deliveries.
• Trent Boult is conceding 14.28 per over between overs 16-20 in IPL 2022. This is the third-worst of any bowler.

Brabourne Pitch Report and Weather

The team batting first has won the past three matches on this ground. In these three matches, 200 has been breached twice. On the other occasion, MI’s 177 was enough to beat Gujarat by five runs.

So, the captain who wins the toss could be tempted to bat first and try post a big score in good batting conditions. Both teams have strong records when defending a total, so this could be an option.

LSG vs RR Dream11 Prediction 15 May 2022

Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article as well as your own instincts to create your teams.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Fan2Play Prediction

Base team:

• Wicket-keepers: Jos Buttler, KL Rahul
• Batsmen: Deepak Hooda, Devdutt Padikkal
• All-rounders: R Ashwin
• Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan

Match Prediction

180+ batting first will be a tough chase given how well RR and LSG defend totals.