LSG vs PBKS, IPL 2023 Highlights: Raza half century, Shahrukh finish helps Punjab beat Lucknow by 2 wickets

“It was nice to get a few runs away but at the end of the day, we needed one of the batters to go on and make a fifty-plus score, similar to what Shubman Gill showed later in the evening. Hopefully if I get a start like that, I can make it out. The last few months has been huge for me. I feel I have the confidence to show that skill-set in this competition. I am backing myself and looking to enjoy my time. We have a pretty good group. Everyone is up and about, even after the two losses.”

“First game on this strip, anything would have worked. It is exciting to challenge ourselves on different conditions. It is our first season here, so each game we'll assess and modify. Every game we make a few changes, settle on a 12-13 and take a call depending on the game. Each game we have turned up and we have been challenged every time, but players have found answers. Everyone is enjoying the game and there is a good vibe around, really happy with the support we have got out here.”

“We'll bowl first. Something we haven't done all season so just needed a change up. Also our first toss that we have won this season. Shikhar picked up an injury last game, don't know how bad it is but hopefully he won't be out long. His absence is huge, we've got two Indian batters coming in and Raza is back in the XI. The conditions looks good”

KL Rahul(c), Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran(w), Ayush Badoni, Avesh Khan, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Mark Wood, Ravi Bishnoi

Atharva Taide, Matthew Short, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Sikandar Raza, Sam Curran(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh

Sam Curran has won the toss and Punjab Kings have (surprise, surprise!) decided to bowl first 

“The preparation is the same for me personally no matter what tournament. I believe in the processes that I’ve followed for the last 3-4 years. No difference in the way I prepare because I’ve played International cricket, because I believe I’ve played Internationals because of these processes. Personally, I prefer playing top-order like I have in domestic cricket but I like to play the situation more than the batting number.”

Sam Curran is leading PBKS tonight. Dhawan has picked up a shoulder niggle. LSG bowler Yudhvir Singh, meanwhile, has been handed his cap and looks set to make his debut tonight.

Early indications are that it is a patchy green pitch on offer in Lucknow today. Expect the captain winning the toss to bowl first, as is always the case in this tournament now.  

Shikhar Dhawan currently sits at the top of the Orange Cap standings and has the chance to extend the lead he has got. But it has been a case of PBKS winning only when he strikes, and losing even  when he does on one occassion. That was when Dhawan scored an extraordinary 99 not out off 66 balls to drag PBKS to a score of just 143/9. They ended up losing that match. In the match against the Titans, Dhawan was dismissed for eight and PBKS strugged to find a strong partnership after his and Matthew Short's dismissals.

"Whenever a team plays 56 dot balls, they end up losing the game so we have to rectify that. And of course, losing early wickets puts the batting side on the back foot and we have to work on that."

Unlike what is the case with the Indian team, KL Rahul is LSG's captain and face and so can't really be dropped that easily. But he seems to be doing a really good job at seeing just how far he can stretch his security this season. Rahul has scored 81 runs in four matches this season at an average of 20.25 and strike rate of exactly 100. As an opener, those numbers are not good, to say the least.

LSG scored 193 for 6 in their first home game this season. It was the first time in 16 T20s held in Lucknow that a team had posted a score in excess of 190.

Not that Kagiso Rabada did anything wrong in the last match, if anything he was PBKS most lethal weapon. But this will be their second match in 48 hours and PBKS would be looking to manage their pacers' workload. 

Liam Livingstone had not been selected in PBKS's previous match and captain Dhawan later revealed that it is because the English all-rounder had pulled up a muscle after arrival in India. "He came for practice yesterday, pulled his muscle and another 2-3 days before he should be good to go," Dhawan had said of Livingstone after the game against Gujarat Titans. This means it is unlikely that Punjab fans will get to see him today.

PBKS started out with two back to back wins but that has been followed by back to back defeats. They would take some motivation from the fact that they managed to take their previous match against the mighty Gujarat Titans to the last over despite defending just 154.

Kyle Mayers may have got off to a flier this season but has registered scores of 13 and 0 in the last two matches. Could this be the chance for LSG to try bringing QDK back again?

Well how about that for some fresh news. Here is what the board had to say. "Mr Jasprit Bumrah underwent surgery in New Zealand on his lower back, which was successful and he remains pain-free. The fast bowler was advised by the specialist to start his rehab six weeks after the surgery and accordingly, Mr Bumrah has commenced his rehab management at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru from Friday.

“Mr Shreyas Iyer is scheduled to undergo surgery for his lower back issue next week. He will remain under the surgeon’s care for two weeks and will return to the NCA after that for rehabilitation.”

Both sides have faced each other once, which was last season and LSG won by 20 wickets in Pune.

LSG: Kyle Mayers, KL Rahul(c), Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran(w), Jaydev Unadkat, Mark Wood, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Amit Mishra, Ayush Badoni, Daniel Sams, Prerak Mankad, Swapnil Singh, Krishnappa Gowtham, Manan Vohra, Quinton de Kock, Naveen-ul-Haq, Yash Thakur, Romario Shepherd, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Karan Sharma, Mayank Yadav

PBKS: Prabhsimran Singh, Shikhar Dhawan(c), Matthew Short, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma(w), Sam Curran, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, Rahul Chahar, Sikandar Raza, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Atharva Taide, Gurnoor Brar, Baltej Singh, Liam Livingstone, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Nathan Ellis, Mohit Rathee, Shivam Singh

Hello and good morning everyone! Welcome to our live coverage of today's IPL 2023 match between LSG and PBKS, straight from Lucknow. Stay tuned!