The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and the Mumbai Indians (MI) are set to lock horns in the much-awaited Eliminator of the ongoing IPL 2023. The upcoming clash is scheduled to be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, May 24.
The winner of the clash will go head-to-head against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 2 on Friday.
The Titans lost their Qualifier 1 against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who became the first team to qualify for the IPL 2023 final.
LSG, who finished third on the points table, accumulated 17 points with eight wins and five losses across their 14 league games. Their one game against CSK ended in a no-result due to rain.
Mumbai, meanwhile, required some help from Gujarat as the defending champions knocked out the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to ensure Rohit Sharma and Co.'s place in the playoffs. MI, therefore, finished fourth on the table with eight wins and six losses, finishing with 16 points in the league stage.
The Qualifier 1 between Gujarat and Chennai, which was also played at the Chepauk Stadium, saw spin bowlers turning the ball in the second half of the game. There was little to no dew on the field, which helped the bowlers largely.
As LSG and MI are set to gear up to face each other for the high-octane Eliminator of IPL 2023, let's take a look at three possible bowlers who could be amongst the wickets on Wednesday.
#3 Akash Madhwal - MI
Akash Madhwal has truly been one of the finds of the season. Although he was only slotted in the starting XI in the second half of the tournament, Madhwal has certainly grabbed his opportunities with both hands.
Madhwal is a fiery pacer, who can hit the deck hard with the new ball and is an invaluable option at the death. The youngster has picked up eight wickets across six innings so far. Despite bowling some tough overs for MI, his strike rate of 13.5 and economy rate of 8.98 has also been remarkable.
Fresh from his match-winning 4/37 in the previous game against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), Mumbai will hope that Madhwal continues his impressive form against LSG.
#2 Ravi Bishnoi - LSG
Ravi Bishnoi has an uncanny ability to rise to the occasion and the LSG unit has utilized the young leg-spinner as a partnership breaker. Bishnoi has been the team's main weapon for LSG and a standout performer with his impressive wicket-taking ability.
As the leading wicket-taker for his team, Bishnoi has scalped an impressive tally of 16 wickets in 14 innings. Bishnoi’s economy rate of 7.76 indicates his ability to restrict the flow of runs and build pressure on the opposition batters.
Additionally, his exceptional strike rate of 17.44 reflects his knack for taking wickets at regular intervals, providing vital breakthroughs for LSG.
#1 Piyush Chawla - MI
A highly underrated bowler, Piyush Chawla has been a fantastic addition to the Mumbai franchise this year. The crafty leg-spinner, who delivers important blows in the middle overs, has been a crucial component of MI's bowling attack.
With 20 scalps at an average of 21.1, Chawla is currently the joint-fourth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament.
Whenever Mumbai have needed a wicket, Rohit Sharma has turned to Chawla and the experienced tweaker has delivered more often than not.
The all-time third-highest wicket-taker in IPL history with 177 scalps, the 34-year-old will want to continue his impressive run with the ball and help Mumbai gain an upper hand in this all-important encounter.
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