"Mayank Yadav is almost ready" - Aakash Chopra on LSG's potential team changes for IPL 2024 clash vs CSK

Aakash Chopra reckons the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) should field Mayank Yadav in their playing XI in their IPL 2024 clash against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) if the express pacer is fit and available.

The two teams will face off at Chepauk in Chennai on Tuesday, April 23. LSG registered an emphatic eight-wicket win in the reverse fixture at home on April 19. A second successive victory will help them replace their opponents in the top four in the standings.

Previewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that LSG should play Naveen-ul-Haq at Matt Henry's expense. He also urged them to include Yadav, if he is fit to play, and potentially M Siddharth in the XI.

"You can play Naveen-ul-Haq in place of Matt Henry here. It will become three consecutive games (with overseas seamer changes) - Shamar Joseph, Matt Henry and Naveen-ul-Haq, but when you reach Chennai, I feel there will be slightly more help for Naveen-ul-Haq in this pitch," he reasoned (10:55).

"Mayank Yadav is almost ready. So it will be interesting to see if Mayank Yadav plays. If he is fit, he should play because the side boundaries here are huge. In whose place he will play - that's a question they will have to answer. They can also think about M Siddharth here because you can try to start with left-arm spin on the Chennai ground," the former India opener added.

Yadav suffered a hip injury in LSG's clash against the Gujarat Titans (GT) on April 7 after scalping three wickets apiece against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The speedster has missed the franchise's last three games due to the injury but might be available for Tuesday's match.

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"The way KL Rahul is batting, it's thumbs up with both hands" - Aakash Chopra on LSG's batting

KL Rahul scored a match-winning half-century in LSG's previous clash against CSK. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Reflecting on LSG's batting, Aakash Chopra praised KL Rahul's recent performances and noted that Deepak Hooda and Marcus Stoinis will be in focus in Chennai.

"In batting, the way KL Rahul is batting, it's thumbs up with both hands. Deepak Hooda's form is something that's not gone well. So it will be worth seeing how much batting Deepak Hooda gets and how he plays. Can Marcus Stoinis score runs on this pitch? That is also a very important aspect. It will be great if he can do that," he said (11:25).

The renowned commentator urged Rahul to use Ravi Bishnoi better with the ball.

"In bowling, they did decently in the last match. They got hit in the end as Mahi (MS Dhoni) came and took them (CSK) close to a par score. Interestingly enough, they are not using Bishnoi properly. They are not getting him to bowl four overs. I don't know why Bishnoi isn't being given the entire four overs although he is their only proper spinner - Krunal (Pandya) is an all-rounder," Chopra elaborated.

Bishnoi has picked up five wickets in the 22.4 overs he has bowled in seven games. The wrist-spinner completed his four-over spell in the reverse fixture against CSK, conceding 44 runs and picking up Moeen Ali's wicket.