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IPL 2024 Updates: LSG trounce RCB by 28 runs

Tue, 02 April 2024

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23:09

LSG trounce RCB by 28 runs

RCB 153-all out (19.4 ovs) vs LSG 181-5 | Scorecard

Leg-spinner Bishnoi to bowl the penultimate over. Topley defends the first ball back to the bowler and gets a single off the next.

Siraj defends the third ball followed by a wide down the leg side as Bishnoi's googly is down the leg side.

The next ball is again a googly as Siraj is struck on the pads trying to defend and is given out leg before wicket.

Siraj takes the review and gets a reprieve as the ball tracker shows that the ball is bouncing over the stumps.

The decision is overturned and Siraj smashes the next ball over long-off for a six.

Bishnoi gives flight and this time Siraj lofts it back over the bowler's head for another six.

RCB need five sixes from the last over for victory.

Naveen to bowl the final over. Topley picks a single from the first ball and Siraj swings and misses next ball as the match is out of RCB's reach now.

Siraj makes room but is beaten again before he lofts the next down the ground but Pooran covers a lot of ground to his left and comes up with a superb diving catch.

Siraj is dismissed for 12 as RCB are bowled out for 153 in 19.4 overs to lose by 28 runs.

23:01

RCB 9 down; LSG set for easy win

RCB 138-9 (18 ovs) vs LSG 181-5 | Scorecard

Thakur to bowl the 18th over. RCB suffer another blow as Mayank Dagar is run out courtesy of a brilliant piece of fielding from Pooran at long-off.

Lomror miscues the first ball high as it falls safely just short of Pooran in the deep.

Dagar looks for the second run to get Lomror back on strike but is sent back halfway down. The batter slips as turns back but he has no chance as Pooran strikes the stumps with a direct hit all the way from long-off.

Reece Topley can't get a run off the first two ball he faces before he takes a risky single from the fourth ball.

RCB's hopes are all but over as Lomror throws his bat at wide delivery and is caught by Pooran at long-off after an entertaining 33 from 13 balls.

Mohammed Siraj is beaten last ball as he pokes and misses.

RCB need 44 from 2 overs with just one wicket in hand.

22:55

RCB need 46 from 3 overs

RCB 136-7 (17 ovs) vs LSG 181-5 | Scorecard

Naveen to bowl the 17th over. Karthik picks a single first ball before Lomror clubs the next over long-on for a six.

Naveen tries the slower bouncer as Lomror adjusts well. He waits till the very last second to ramp the ball over wicketkeeper Rahul for a four before he is struck on the pads trying to slog for a single.

Naveen bowls a wide down the leg side before Karthik is caught behind. He tries to pull the short ball but is struck on the gloves and caught behind by Rahul for 4.

The change of pace accounted for Karthik, who looked quite early into the pull shot. Mayank Dagar can't get a run off the last ball.

RCB need 46 from 3 overs.

22:46

RCB need 59 from 4 overs

RCB 123-6 (16 ovs) vs LSG 181-5 | Scorecard

Lomror breaks the shackles as smashes pacer Thakur over long-off for a six. He throws his bat at a wide delivery as he gets the thick outside edge which flies over short thirdman for a four.

Lomor picks the length ball from Thakur to smash it wide of long-on for a six.

Singles off the last two balls as Thakur gives away 19 runs in his third over.

RCB need 59 from 4 overs.

22:42

Mayank leaves RCB in a mess

RCB 104-6 (15 ovs) vs LSG 181-5 | Scorecard

Mayank Yadav is back, to bowl his fourth and final over. He makes another crucial strike as Patidar top edges the short ball and Padikkal takes a good catch at fine leg.

Mayank has his third wicket as Patidar is dismissed for 29 to leave RCB reeling on 103/6 in the 15th over.

There is a slip in place as Dinesh Karthik plays the old fashioned leave to the first ball he faces.

Mayank makes another big strike as he gets Karthik leg before wicket for duck before the veteran calls for the review.

Karthik survives as the ball tracker judges that the ball is going over the stumps. He keeps strike with one from the last ball.

Just a single from his last over as Mayank finishes with magical figures of 3/14 in four overs, including 15 dot balls.

RCB need 78 from five overs for victory.

22:35

Rawat out for 11; RCB 5 down

RCB 103-5 (14 ovs) vs LSG 181-5 | Scorecard

Fast bowler Thakur is back into the attack. Patidar takes one off the first ball before Lomror slashes the short wide delivery over point for a four.

Singles off the next two balls before Lomror gets a lifeline as substitute Deepak Hooda misses the direct hit from point. The left-hander was struck on the pads before he looks for a quick leg bye but is sent back.

He has given up but Hooda misses the direct hit from close range.

RCB face a stiff task with 79 needed from the last six overs.

22:28

Patidar, Rawat revive RCB

RCB 94-5 (13 ovs) vs LSG 181-5 | Scorecard

Leg-spinner Bishnoi back into the attack. He makes a good start with two singles from the first three balls. Rawat looks to break free as he slog sweeps the spinner as the ball goes straight to Krunal Pandya at deep midwicket, who puts down a simple catch.

Patidar makes it worse for Bishnoi as he pulls the short ball over midwicket for a six before he hammers the last ball back over the bowler's head for a four, to get 13 from the over.

LSG make a change as Marcus Stoinis replaces Thakur, who bowled just one over.

Singles off the first two balls before Rawat cuts the short ball over point for a couple of runs.

Stoinis bowls a high bouncer which goes high and easily beats wicketkeeper KL Rahul for five wides.

The left-hander perishes off the next ball as he comes down and looks to hit over the top but fails to time the loft and is taken by Padikkal at mid-on.

Rawat walks back after a struggling knock of 11 from 21 balls as RCB slip to 94/5 in 12.5 overs.

Mahipal Lomror is brought in as the Impact Player as he walks in ahead of Dinesh Karthik. Stoinis gets some extra bounce to beat the left-hander off the last ball of the over.

22:20

Mayank leaves RCB in a mess!

RCB 71-4 (11 ovs) vs LSG 181-5 | Scorecard

Change in the bowling as fast bowler Yash Thakur comes into the attack. He starts with a good short ball on the body which strikes left-hander Rawat on the gloves but falls safely on the off-side before he is beaten next ball going for the cut.

He takes a single on the off-side before Patidar pulls the short ball off his pads over the fine leg fence for a six -- the first boundary after 19 balls.

Singles from the last two balls makes it eight runs from the 11th over.

22:13

Mayank leaves RCB in a mess!

RCB 63-4 (10 ovs) vs LSG 181-5 | Scorecard

LSG continue to attack with Mayank. He bowls a short ball as Rawat misses the pull shot over fine leg before he nudges the next off his pads for two runs.

Another short ball as Rawat again misses the pull before he hits the fourth to deep point for one.

Patidar avoids the bouncer before he defends the last ball to short thirdman.

RCB struggling on 63/4 in 10 overs, needing another 119 from the remaining 10 overs for victory at nearly 12 per over.

Mayank has once again made the difference with the ball with his express pace, taking 2/13 in three overs.

22:08

Mayank cleans up Green; RCB in trouble

RCB 60-4 (9 ovs) vs LSG 181-5 | Scorecard

Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi comes into the attack. Green drives the first ball for a couple of runs followed by a wide.

Patidar also takes one before Green picks a single off the last ball to get six runs from the over.

Mayank generating some good pace. Green is beaten as he tries to cut the short ball which is clocked at 155.6kph.

He swings the next ball uppishly, clearing the fielder at mid-on for a boundary.

Mayank deals RCB another big blow. The length ball moves away a touch to beat Green on the defence and crashes into the off-stump.

Green walks back for nine as RCB slip to 59/4 after eight overs.

Naveen is back into the attack. Anuj Rawat defends the first ball before he pokes and misses the next followed by a single off the fourth ball.

Naveen gets some late movement to beat Patidar on the outside edge who defends the last ball with utmost caution.

A superb over from Naveen as he gives away just a single in his second over.

21:53

Mayank strikes; Maxwell out for duck

RCB 48-3 (6 ovs) vs LSG 181-5 | Scorecard

LSG's pace sensation Mayank Yadav comes into the attack RCB suffer another blow as du Plessis is run out attempting a risky single to Padikkal at midwicket, who strikes the stumps with a direct hit.

Du Plessis is dismissed for 19 as RCB lose both their openers in the space of six deliveries, to be reduced to 42/2 in the sixth over.

Mayank makes it worse for RCB with the big wicket of the dangerous Maxwell.

The short ball clocked at 151kph is too hot to handle for Maxwell, who is hurried into the pull shot as he ends up spooning a simple catch to Pooran at mid-on to fall for a duck.

Cameron Green gets off the mark with a single to thirdman before Patidar flicks the last ball past midwicket for a four.

Three wickets in the space of nine balls as RCB are reduced to 48/3 in six overs.

21:45

Kohli out for 22; RCB lose 1st wicket

RCB 42-1 (5 ovs) vs LSG 181-5 | Scorecard

Siddharth to bowl his third over in the Powerplay with both Kohli and du Plessis looking to attack.

Kohli slaps the first ball behind point for a boundary before the bowler gets revenge next ball.

He ends up miscuing the next ball on the off-side and is taken by Padikkal at point. The left-arm spinner got some turn as Kohli got a thick leading edge trying to whip it through midwicket.

Siddharth is jubilant at claiming the big wicket for Kohli for 22 as he runs across to celebrate.

Rajat Patidar in need of some runs after a poor start to IPL 2024. He gets off the mark with a single and du Plessis takes one off the last ball.

Superb bowling by Siddharth as he registers good figures of 1/21 in three overs in the Powerplay.

21:40

Du Plessis, Kohli give RCB flying start

RCB 36-0 (4 ovs) vs LSG 181-5 | Scorecard

Pacer Naveen-ul-Haq comes into the attack in place of Pandya. He starts with two dot balls to Kohli, who makes up for it as he hits the third ball straight back over the bowler's head for a six.

Naveen bowls a full toss but Kohli can't make most as he flicks it to the fielder at midwicket for just one.

Stand and deliver from Faf as he clubs the last ball over mid-on for a boundary to get 11 from the over.

RCB off to a flier as they race to 36 for no loss in four overs, with both batters on 18.

21:35

RCB off to a good start vs LSG

RCB 25-0 (3 ovs) vs LSG 181-5 | Scorecard

After a good start, Siddharth gets a second over in the Powerplay. Du Plessis hits the first ball down to long-off for one and Kohli takes another run off the third.

Du Plessis uses his feet and slices the young spinner uppishly as it beats the dive from Ravi Bishnoi at point for two runs.

The RCB skipper flat bats the next ball powerfully past the non-striker to beat mid-on for a boundary.

Siddharth bowls a short ball and this time du Plessis hammers it past the fielder in the covers for another four to get 10 from the over.

21:34

RCB off to a good start vs LSG

RCB 25-0 (3 ovs) vs LSG 181-5 | Scorecard

After a good start, Siddharth gets a second over in the Powerplay. Du Plessis hits the first ball down to long-off for one and Kohli takes another run off the third.

Du Plessis uses his feet and slices the young spinner uppishly as it beats the dive from Ravi Bishnoi at point for two runs.

The RCB skipper flat bats the next ball powerfully past the non-striker to beat mid-on for a boundary.

Siddharth bowls a short ball and this time du Plessis hammers it past the fielder in the covers for another four to get 10 from the over.

21:32

Pooran's attack rallies LSG to 181

RCB 13-0 (2 ovs) vs LSG 181-5 | Scorecard

Lucknow Super Giants open the bowling with spin as left-armer Manimaran Siddharth bowls the first over.

Virat Kohli taps the first ball on the off-side before he mishits the pull shot for a single and Faf du Plessis drives the fourth ball to long-off for another run as both openers get off the mark.

Kohli manages just a single from the last ball as Siddharth makes a tidy start giving away just three runs in the opening over.

Left-arm spin from both ends as Krunal Pandya bowls from the other end.

Kohli clips the first ball through square leg for two runs before he lofts the next back over the bowler's head for a four.

Singles from the last four balls as 10 runs come from the second over.

21:12

Pooran's attack rallies LSG to 181

Nicholas Pooran

LSG 181-5 (20 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Pooran turns thing around in style with his incredible counter-attack against Topley in the 19th over.

Pooran offers no shot to the first ball hoping for a wide but it is not but the second one is a wide.

Topley bowls a full toss which Pooran slices over point for a six to break the shackles.

The RCB pacer gifts Pooran another wide full toss which the West Indian again carves over point for another six -- his 100th in the IPL.

Change of tactics from Topley as he tries the slower bouncer but Pooran picks it early as he pulls it high over midwicket to complete a hat-trick of sixes.

He keeps strike with a single from the last ball as Topley concedes 20 runs in his final over.

Siraj to bowl the final over. He starts with a wide yorker which beats Pooran before he plays and misses again next ball.

He takes the review but the ball is well inside the marker.

Siraj then tries the bouncer as Pooran is beaten again. But the West Indian makes up for it as he hammers the wide length ball from Siraj over the off-side for a six.

As expected Siraj tries the slower ball and this time Pooran muscles it over midwicket for another six.

He drives the last ball down to long-off for a single to get 13 runs from the over.

Pooran has played a vital cameo of 40 from 21 balls, having hit five sixes in the last two overs, to power LSG to 181/5 in their 20 overs.

A slight recovery from LSG courtesy of Pooran's counter-attack as they managed to hit 33 from the last two overs on a pitch which has not been easy for the batters.

21:02

RCB in control as LSG lose way

LSG 148-5 (18 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Dayal back into the attack, to bowl his fourth and final over. He starts with a wide half-volley which Pooran drills through the covers for a four.

The change of pace proving to be tough for the batters to pick. Dayal does well to bowl three dots in a row to Pooran, who then takes one to long-off.

Ayush Badoni falls off the last ball. He looks to swat Dayal's short ball over point but mishits it towards the covers where du Plessis runs back and puts in the dive to complete a superb catch.

LSG have scored just 27 runs in the last five overs while losing four wickets.

Five runs and a wicket from his final over as Dayal finishes with 1/24 in four overs.

20:56

De Kock out for 81; LSG lose 4th wicket

LSG 143-4 (17 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Topley is back into the attack. He beats de Kock first ball with the yorker before he drives the full toss towards deep midwicket for a single.

Pooran (2) top edges the pull shot off the slower bouncer as the ball goes high on the leg side but the catch is put down.

Wicketkeeper Rawat runs all the way towards square leg and puts in the dive but is unable to hold on.

Topley strikes next ball with the vital wicket of the well-set de Kock, who mistimes the full toss as he hits it straight to Dagar at long-off, who takes his third catch of the innings.

De Kock walks back after a superb knock of 81 from 56 balls, having hit five sixes and eight fours.

An excellent over from Topley, who conceded just two runs in his third over while picking the key wicket of de Kock.

20:50

De Kock's attack boosts Lucknow

LSG 141-3 (16 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Left-arm pacer Dayal is back into the attack. He bowls an excellent third over as he gives away just two singles in the 15th over.

De Kock is beaten trying to pull the short ball as the on-field umpire rules it a wide but RCB review it.

This is a good review as the TV umpire overturns the wide call with the bouncer going below the head height while there is no glove or bat.

Siraj is back into the attack. Pooran takes a single first ball before de Kock hammers the third ball powerfully to beat the dive from du Plessis at mid-off for a four.

He is beaten next ball as he looks to pull the short ball which is a lot slower in pace.

De Kock slams the fifth ball which is pitched up over du Plessis for another four before he takes a single to retain strike.

De Kock has single-handedly kept LSG going in the middle overs, stroking 80 from 53 balls, with five sixes and eight fours.

20:39

Maxwell strikes; Stoinis falls for 24

LSG 129-3 (14 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Green struggles with his length in his second over. He gifts de Kock a full toss which he eases over the off-side for a six before he takes one to long-on.

Green bowls another full toss, this time to Stoinis, who casually flicks it over square leg for the second six of the over followed by a single.

De Kock plays the inside out lofted shot off the last ball to make it 19 runs from the 13th over.

Maxwell, who took 1/15 in three overs, is back into the attack. Stoinis swings the first ball with the spin over midwicket for a six followed by a single.

De Kock takes one before Maxwell strikes with the key wicket of Stoinis, who is caught by Dagar after scoring 24 from 15 balls.

He and de Kock got LSG back on track as they put on 56 runs from 30 balls for the third wicket.

Stoinis tries to cut the last ball uppishly over point but he gets the top edge courtesy of some extra bounce as Dagar completes his second catch.

Maxwell finishes with superb figures of 2/23 from his four overs.

20:29

De Kock hits fifty as LSG go past 100

LSG 102-2 (12 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Spinner Dagar continues as singles come from the first three balls before de Kock hammers a full delivery straight back past the bowler for a four to bring up his fifty from 36 balls.

He lofts the last ball straight down the ground for his fourth six to continue the momentum for LSG in the middle overs as the visitors go past the 100-run mark, in the 12th over.

20:25

Siraj strikes; Lucknow lose 2nd wicket

LSG 90-2 (11 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar comes into the attack. He makes a poor start, firing the quicker delivery down the leg side to de Kock as it beats the wicketkeeper for five wides.

De Kock slaps the next past point for a single and Marcus Stoinis picks one off the next to get off the mark.

RCB's fielding has been quite superb today. De Kock cuts the short ball from Dagar as Dinesh Karthik comes up with a diving stop to his left to prevent the boundary.

Stoinis and de Kock pick the singles off every delivery after the wide to get 11 from the over.

At the halfway mark, LSG are well-placed on 84/2 in 10 overs, with de Kock on 46 and Stoinis on three.

Fast bowler Cameron Green comes into the attack. He starts with a poor delivery, full toss on the pads, which Stoinis clips through square leg for a four before he shuffles across to clip the pacer for a single to fine leg.

De Kock has a couple of big swings outside the off-stump to be beaten. He smashes the last ball into the off-side where the fielder in the covers comes up with a good stop to save some runs.

20:15

Siraj strikes; Lucknow lose 2nd wicket

LSG 73-2 (9 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Siraj is back into the attack. He continues to struggle against de Kock, who pulls the third ball into the stands over midwicket for his third six against the RCB pacer.

He takes a single next ball followed by three wides in a row to Padikkal.

Siraj finally has something to smile about. A good short ball directed across Padikkal, who pulls but gets the top edge and wicketkeeper Anuj Rawat completes a superb catch.

Padikkal is dismissed after a struggling knock of six from 11 balls.

20:10

RCB's bowlers keep LSG in check

LSG 62-1 (8 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Pacer Topley is back into the attack. Padikkal runs the first ball down the thirdman for one and de Kock is put down by Maxwell, who runs back from mid-off but can't get to it as the LSG opener gets two runs.

De Kock is struggling with the pace of the wicket as he attempts a cross-batted slog but is beaten before he pulls the next for one.

Topley gets some late movement to past the outside edge as Padikkal pushes away from his body and he takes one off the last ball.

Maxwell to bowl his third over. He continues to keep things tight as he gives away just three runs in the seventh over.

De Kock is beaten last ball as he looks to clip it across the line and struck on the pads but the leg before shout is turned and RCB not interested in the review.

The impact was in line but height seems to be an issue as confirmed by the Hawkeye in the replay.

LSG have managed just 16 runs from the last three overs while losing one wicket as RCB fight back.

19:59

Rahul out for 20; LSG lose 1st wicket

LSG 54-1 (6 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Left-arm pacer Dayal is back into the attack. Rahul takes a single from the first ball before de Kock is completely deceived by the change of pace as he tries to scoop it fine but is early into the shot.

He is beaten again next ball looking to loft it over the off-side as Dayal gets some away movement.

De Kock struggles with his timing as he tries to pull for a single but Rahul breaks free as he lofts the pacer straight down the ground for a six. He tries another lofted shot but this time the ball isn't timed well but clears mid-on for two runs.

Maxwell continues as Rahul gets a lifeline on 14. He sweeps the off-spinner powerfully as Rajat Patidar runs to his right and leaps high but fails to hold on to the catch as the ball goes over for a six to bring up LSG's fifty in the sixth over.

However, Maxwell gets his man next ball. Rahul miscues the pull shot high on the off-side and is taken by Mayank Dagar after scoring 20 form 14 balls.

Devdutt Padikkal looks for a quick single first ball on the off-side but is sent back before he mishits the sweep but the ball falls well short of the fielder running in from deep square leg.

LSG are 54/1 in six overs, with de Kock on 32 from 19 balls.

19:53

De Kock gives LSG a flying start

LSG 36-0 (4 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Pace Mohammed Siraj comes into the attack in place of Topley. He gets the first ball to swing away late to beat Rahul who then taps the next ball for a single.

De Kock gets a leading edge which falls short of the fielder at mid-off but flicks the fourth ball over square leg for a six.

Another full delivery on the pads as de Kock helps it over the square leg fence for another six.

Spin introduced as Glenn Maxwell comes into the attack. He starts with a wide down the leg side to Rahul before he takes a single next ball.

Two more singles as Maxwell makes a tidy start conceding just four runs in his first over.

19:43

LSG off to a quickfire start vs RCB

LSG 19-0 (2 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Quinton de Kock and K L Rahul are the two openers for LSG, while Reece Topley opens the bowling for RCB in his first game of the season.

Left-hander de Kock on strike as he taps the first ball into the off-side before he is beaten next ball as Topley gets some away movement to past the outside edge.

A good bouncer from Topley as de Kock swings wildly but the top edge flies over the wicketkeeper for a boundary to get LSG off the mark.

The next ball is again short and de Kock swing and misses before he drills the fifth ball through the covers for a four.

The last ball is short and wide and this time de Kock slaps it past point for the third four of the over.

Yash Dayal from the other end. Rahul drives the first ball into the covers as Kohli makes a diving stop to save the boundary.

Rahul clips the next ball for a single before de Kock plays a beautiful cover drive for a boundary followed by singles off the last two balls.

19:10

RCB opt to bowl; Rahul back to lead LSG

This will be a good contest between the two powerful batting line-ups on a good track in Bengaluru.

The likes of Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green will find a worthy opposition in K L Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis.

Check out the playing XIs of the two teams:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Faf du Plessis (captain), Virat Kohli, Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat (w/k), Reece Topley, Mayank Dagar, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal.

Lucknow Super Giants: K L Rahul (captain), Quinton de Kock(w), Devdutt Padikkal, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mayank Yadav.

19:06

RCB win toss; elect to bowl vs LSG

Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis has won the toss and elected to bowl against Lucknow Super Giants.

Hosts RCB have made one change as Reece Topley replaces Alzarri Joseph.

K L Rahul is back to lead LSG after he played as the Impact Sub in the previous game against Punjab Kings.

LSG have also made one change as Mohsin Khan is ruled out with a sore back and has been replaced by Yash Thakur.

19:00

Kohli plays 100th match in Bengaluru

RCB's star batter Virat Kohli will play his 100th match at his home ground -- the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

18:43

Faltering RCB aim to bounce back vs LSG

Welcome to the coverage of the IPL 2024 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

An inconsistent Royal Challengers Bengaluru would be eager to hit the turnaround button when they host Lucknow Super Giants, who are sweating over skipper K L Rahul's fitness.

RCB are currently eighth on the table with two points from three matches, and alarmingly, their net run rate too has dipped to -0.71 after a heavy defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru last week.

RCB's powerful batting line-up has not produced the goods so far. Except for Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik, the rest of the batters including skipper Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green and Rajat Patidar have not been among the runs so far.

The senior batters' struggles have percolated to their bowling department too. Mohammed Siraj offers the most glaring example.

The lead pacer has taken just two wickets in three matches, conceding 10 runs an over and he needs to step up immediately.

Siraj's lack of bite has robbed RCB of a chance to take some early wickets in the Power Play and put the opposition under pressure, something he had done quite consistently during IPL 2023.

The situation has turned even grimmer as Siraj's new-ball partner Alzarri Joseph, RCB's Rs 11.5 crore buy in the auction, has been totally rudderless, taking a solitary wicket and leaking 9.4 runs per over.

The spin unit of RCB offers an even more bewildering view as none among Glenn Maxwell, Karn Sharma and Mayank Dagar, the most impressive of the lot, have bowled their full quota of four overs in any of the three previous matches.

On the other hand, the Super Giants have their own set of worries as the fitness of regular captain Rahul, who came in as an Impact Sub in their 21-run win over Punjab Kings, will be closely monitored.

Will the LSG continue to use Rahul as an impact player with Nicholas Pooran wearing the captain's armband or will he return to his normal three-in-one role of skipper, batter and wicketkeeper?

Mayank Yadav, a fast bowler who can effortlessly touch 150 clicks, stole the show with a cracking performance on debut against Punjab Kings. But the 21-year-old Delhi quick will have a different kind of test at Chinnaswamy as compared to the Ekana Stadium.

IPL 2024 Updates: LSG trounce RCB by 28 runs

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