KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer made sharp observation of the MCA wicket in Pune ahead of the LSG vs KKR match in the IPL 2022 on Saturday.
Follow Us
KL Rahul has led the new franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to seven wins in 10 matches to remain in a good position to qualify for the IPL 2022 playoffs. His next assignment came after a few days’ break against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune on Saturday where he lost the toss with his side put into bat first.
READ MORE: IPL 2022: Yuzvendra Chahal equals Lasith Malinga in major IPL record
Rahul, however, made a sharp observation of the MCA pitch after losing the toss and believes that it has been a sticky wicket and not a high scoring venue. It should be noted that the LSG franchise had not played a lot of games on the surface in the IPL 2022. And for the uninitiated, the MCA Stadium has black soil which means that the franchises will be keen to use the spinners during the day game and reap benefits out of them. It is also the only venue among the four selected for IPL 2022 where spinners can be brought into the attack early.
“We haven’t played too many games here. From whatever we have seen on the TV, it has been sticky and hasn’t been a high scoring venue. But it gives us a good opportunity as a batting unit to come out and put up a competitive total on the board. We have to assess the conditions and put a challenging total on the board,” Rahul said at the toss. “We have one change – Avesh comes in for Gowtham. That’s what gives us confidence and that’s what we want to be as a team, performing as a team and not rely on one or two players. We have had a couple of days break, the body is fresh and looking forward to going out there and giving our 100 percent.”
His fellow Team India compatriot and KKR captain Shreyas Iyer highlighted that the dew will not be a major factor for the franchise which bats second. The KKR franchise, however, stand in a must-win situation to remain in contention to qualify for the IPL 2022 playoffs. “We will look to bowl first. Considering the wicket which looks dry and dew is not going to play a massive role on this ground. We also chased pretty well in the last game.
“We have got one change, unfortunately Umesh pulled his calf muscle and Harshit Rana comes in. It is really important as a captain to have a great combination right from the first game but there are so many injuries and niggles you have to keep chopping and changing, but that is part and parcel of the game. It has not been great start for us but we are coming on the back of a good win. Looking forward to have a great one here. I want to convert the starts I am getting and play to the situation rather than thinking about my form,” Iyer concluded.
