3 player battles to watch out for in LSG vs MI, Eliminator of IPL 2023

The Mumbai Indians (MI) will lock horns with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Eliminator of the ongoing IPL 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday, May 24.

Both Mumbai and Lucknow finished the league stage with eight wins each. LSG, however, had one more point to their tally, given that their clash against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ended in no result due to rain.

The Lucknow-based side came out on top when the two sides locked horns at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on May 16. They posted 177 runs on the board, thanks to an explosive unbeaten knock of 89 from Marcus Stoinis.

Mumbai failed to chase down the total, losing the encounter by five runs. Ishan Kishan scored a half-century but it wasn't enough to take the team home. With 11 runs required off the final over, Mohsin Khan delivered under pressure for LSG, conceding just five runs against power-hitters David and Cameron Green.

The forthcoming match is of utmost importance for MI and LSG, given that a win here will take them one step closer to the final. The winner of the game will advance to Qualifier 2, where they will face defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT).

On that note, let's take a look at the three player battles that could dictate the course of the LSG vs MI clash:

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#3 Ravi Bishnoi vs Rohit Sharma

Leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi has emerged as one of the top performers with the ball for LSG in IPL 2023. With 16 wickets from 13 innings, he is the leading wicket-taker for his side this season. He has a fantastic economy rate of 7.76 to his name.

Bishnoi can make things difficult for MI captain Rohit Sharma, who has struggled against spin bowling lately.

The veteran opener has faced spin in eight innings and has been dismissed by them six times. Four of those dismissals have been against leg spinners.

Bishnoi has an impressive record against Sharma in the cash-rich league. The star batter averages just 17 against Bishnoi and has been out to him twice in five innings.

The MI skipper has found some form of late. He dazzled viewers with a stunning 56-run knock in the team's final league match against the SunRisers Hyderabad. However, Bishnoi could spoil the 36-year-old's party this time around.

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#2 Marcus Stoinis vs Piyush Chawla

Lucknow's Marcus Stoinis has impressed many with his batting exploits in the ongoing edition of the IPL. The swashbuckler has proved that he can single-handedly shift the momentum of the match with his striking ability.

The Australian batter is a menace to fast bowlers and has, on several occasions, taken the best of pacers to the cleaners.

Rohit Sharma could turn to his most experienced campaigner, Piyush Chawla, to get the upper hand over Stoinis.

Spinners have accounted for the LSG all-rounder's dismissal five times in IPL 2023. Chawla will back himself to get the job done, considering that he has provided his team with major breakthroughs on a consistent basis.

The conditions in Chennai are also expected to assist Chawla. The seasoned campaigner has been a revelation for the five-time champions, bagging 20 wickets from 14 games at an economy rate of 7.81.

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#1 Krunal Pandya vs Suryakumar Yadav

LSG skipper Krunal Pandya is another spinner who can have a big impact in the IPL 2023 Eliminator. We saw how Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja was nearly unplayable at the same venue in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday,

Pandya's bowling style is quite similar to Jadeja, and he could prove to be Lucknow's trump card against MI's champion batter Suryakumar Yadav. The two will be aware of each other's tricks, considering that they have shared the Mumbai dressing room for several years.

While Suryakumar had a slow start to the tournament, he found his rhythm just at the right time. The dynamic batter has amassed 511 runs across 14 games at a wonderful strike rate of 185.14.

However, his strike rate drops to 107.21 against left-arm spinners in the IPL. Pandya has performed well with the ball, chipping in with his miserly spells from time to time and has a brilliant economy rate of 7.23.