IPL 2023: LSG vs MI, Today Match Prediction - Two same yet contrasting teams Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians will be up against each other in the Eliminator of the IPL 2023 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. MI and LSG have battled with injury issues but have made it to the top four and are now two steps away from a spot in the final. Let's see how these two can fare against each other.
Same and contrasting aspects of MI, LSG
Mumbai and Lucknow share a fair bit of similarity and uniqueness between them. Both teams have had injury issues. While MI have suffered with injuries to their key bowlers, LSG were hit with a body blow after injury to their captain KL Rahul.
They have a difference in their team performance. MI have a strong batting unit, well led by Suryakumar Yadav. On the other hand, LSG have good spinners in their ranks - Amit Mishra, Ravi Bishnoi, and Krunal Pandya. Another aspect of their similarity and contrast is that MI have hunted down big totals and LSG have defended scores well in the league stage.
But the surface at Chepauk is not a batting paradise by any means and LSG might fancy their chances of beating Mumbai here. Given that, LSG have not won much on slower surfaces. Their own surface at home is a slow one and they have 3 wins out of 6 completed games there. LSG have played one game at Chepauk this season and they have lost that to CSK. But they have played much more on slower surfaces this season and might have an upper hand over Mumbai.
Pitch and weather
In the second half of the season, Chepauk has helped spinners well. The pitch has slowed down and the previous game - Qualifier 1 saw Gujarat finding it hard to chase down the 172-run total. This game is likely to be played at the strip where the CSK vs MI game was played and that was a low-scoring affair, won by Chennai while chasing 140. Winning the toss and batting first is a wise decision.
The weather is expected to be partly cloudy with a little breeze. There is only a 2% probability of rain pouring down but the action is expected to remain unhindered.
Best batter Prediction: Marcus Stoinis can be a batter to watch out for. He was fabulous in LSG's last game at a slow surface of Ekana. Stoinis' 89-run knock was by a fair distance the difference between LSG's 5-run win over MI that day.
Best bowler Prediction: Ravi Bishnoi can be a bowler to watch out for. He is LSG's leading wicket-taker this season with 16 scalps in 14 games. Bishnoi has enjoyed bowling at slower venues of Lucknow and Chennai. He has 9 wickets at Ekana and 3 at Chepauk this year.
Match winner Prediction: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
