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The IPL 2024 matches at the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)'s home, the Ekana Stadium, have been intriguing. The pitches here look like they should be spinners' den but pacers have taken a lot more wickets at a better average so far.
And although it would give Mumbai Indians (MI) something to look forward to ahead of their visit here on Tuesday, they won't be overjoyed. For, although they possess a better pace combination than LSG and a worse spin attack, neither has quite clicked for them this season apart from a couple of games at home.
Below, we have picked three bowlers out of both teams who, in our opinion, can click better than the rest and pick the most wickets:
#3 Mohsin Khan
Left-arm seamer Mohsin Khan has been one of the most underrated fast bowlers in IPL 2024. Until LSG's last game against Rajasthan Royals (RR), he had not gone wicketless this season.
His ability to move the new ball with consistency in lines and lengths and then utilize the old ball's grip on the surface has been fully displayed at the Ekana, where he has picked up three wickets in as many games.
Mohsin has taken a wicket each in his three appearances against MI and this could be the game he can do a bit more than that.
Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan are both vulnerable against swing in the powerplay while MI's lower order has been one of the weakest in IPL 2024, opening endless chances for Mohsin.
#2 Mayank Yadav
LSG have been given a massive boost with Mayank Yadav returning to full fitness ahead of the MI clash. It's impossible to now keep him out of these lists because, before his injury, he had six wickets in effectively two innings, three each at the Ekana and the flat Chinnaswamy Stadium, at a brilliant average of 9.
In those two matches, there wasn't even one batter who played him for a few balls on the trot and looked at ease. If Suryakumar Yadav, perhaps the best player of express pace in the world, fails to tackle him well, Mayank will pose the biggest challenge to MI's struggling batting order with his pace and consistency.
#1 Jasprit Bumrah
MI's silver lining at the start of the campaign, Jasprit Bumrah, has had a couple of relatively off-games in IPL 2024. But just with that, you can imagine how much the Purple Cap holder would be raring to perform in helpful conditions against LSG.
He hasn't played a lot against the franchise, but KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock have been his victims multiple times in the IPL. Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran haven't been able to get the better of him in limited chances either.
If Bumrah manages to extract a bit of movement early on, he will likely make it a long night for the hosts. Even if he doesn't, LSG's batting mixture of experience and youth hasn't quite been tested by high-quality pace this season and this could be the battle where if they don't bring out their best, they'll crumble.
