Magazine : 
LSG vs MI IPL 2023: Close game in the offing as Lucknow Super Giants look to check Mumbai Indians' momentum
The Mumbai Indians are a completely different team to the one that started this season and found it tough to rise from the bottom of the table. With a string of victories when it mattered the most, Rohit Sharma & Co are now in the playoff bracket as the five-time champions visit Lucknow Super Giants for a crucial IPL 2023 fixture.
Just one point separates the two teams. Mumbai are No. 3 with 14 points from 12 matches, while Lucknow are placed fourth with 13 points in the same number of games.
Both teams will be looking to get out of the danger zone as eight teams are still in contention for the playoffs.
Suryakumar Yadav is back to his breathtaking best and played a huge role in Mumbai's wins in the previous two games. Short of runs in the tournament, Rohit Sharma too found some rhythm against Gujarat Giants and will be looking to play a substantial knock at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cricket Stadium.
In Tilka Varma's absence, Mumbai have found an able replacement in Nehal Wadehra, who seems to be getting better with every opportunity on the big stage. On the bowling front, veteran spinner Piyush Chawla continues to make life tough for the batters while rookie Akash Badhwal has given the pace attack a much-needed boost.
Death bowling remains a concern with Jofra Archer's replacement Chris Jordan leaking runs in the last two games. It is expected to be another low-scoring game here and the spinners on either side could decide the fate of the game. Leggie Ravi Bishnoi has been the leading wicket taker for LSG and stand in captain Krunal Pandya too showed what he could do with his left-arm spin against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Veteran spinner Amit Mishra is also expected to come into play considering the conditions. The pacers have proved to be a tad expensive especially Avesh Khan, who has an economy rate of 9.75 after nine games. The batting looks formidable despite the absence of injured K L Rahul. Quinton de Kock has made instant impact as Rahul's replacement at the top while Kyle Mayers is LSG's leading run getter in the competition.
Then they have players who can win for the game even from a hopeless situation, like Nicholas Pooran did against Sunrisers. Saurashtra batter Prerak Mankad showed what he is capable of at number three in the last game and will come out with additional confidence.
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