IPL 2023 LSG vs DC Preview- The Ekana Stadium becomes latest IPL venue

Key match stats LSG v DC

Pitch Stats – BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium

Average first innings score: n/a
Average first innings winning score: n/a
Average powerplay score: n/a
Win % batting 1st vs batting 2nd:n/a

Team form LSG vs DC

Recent meetings: IPL 2022 - LSG won by 6 wickets, LSG won by 6runs

Preview LSG v DC

Lucknow Super Giants head into 2023 off the back of an impressive debut season in which they beat today's opponents Delhi Capitals twice.

LSG have largely kept the same group of players together although the loss of Jason Holder does raise a few question marks about the length of their tail and the depth of their fast bowling stocks. As far as quick bowlers are concerned, Super Giants will also be without Mohsin Khan for the "majority of the season". The big left-armer had been struggling for fitness since the autumn and won't get the chance to terrorise the DC batting line-up again (he took 4 for 16 vs the Capitals last time out).

Both teams look likely to be impacted by Cricket South Africa's decision to keep the majority of their first choice players for the ODI series against the Netherlands. LSG will therefore be without Quinton de Kock while DC will have to make do without pacers Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi. Similarly this game may come too soon for the West Indian contingent of Rovman Powell (DC), Nicolas Pooran, Kyle Mayers and Romario Shepherd (all LSG) who will travel after the conclusion of the series in South African on Tuesday.

We already know that Rishabh Pant will miss IPL 2023 as he recovers from surgery following his horrific car crash. David Warner who was unceremoniously sacked as Sunrisers captain part way through the 2021 season, will skipper the team but what remains less clear is who will take the wicket keeping gloves?

It was looking likely that DC would give the role to Sarfraz Khan who comes into the IPL with some excellent form under his belt in domestic cricket. However, he too has sustained an injury (hairline fracture to his finger) which further disrupts the Capitals' preparations.

If this is all sounding a little bit familiar, then cast your mind back to last year when Delhi just couldn't seem to catch a break in as far as injuries and multiple other disruptions were concerned.

This will be the first IPL match played at the relatively new Ekana Cricket Stadium so there is limited data available for the pitch itself. However, the pitch curator here was recently sacked following a T20 match between India and New Zealand in February 2023 which saw the Black Caps struggle to 99 for 8 off their initial 20 overs and then the hosts limp over the line with a ball to spare.

We'll hope that in the interim the new curator has managed to prepare something a little more conducive to high quality T20 cricket!

LSG vs DC head to head

DC bowling vs LSG batting

The top order runs of QdK and KL Rahul were crucial to LSG's success last season and with the former unavailable for at least this game then the pressure will be on the skipper to recover his form in the IPL following a series of disappointing performances for the national side in recent times.

Axar Patel vs KL Rahul T20 head to head stats

The other question is who will open with KL Rahul? LSG could be tempted to promote Marcus Stoinis up the order or bring in the experienced Manan Vohra who would be appearing in his 10th edition of the IPL. That would however, leave LSG with a right-hand dominant opening pair and may prompt DC to consider bowling Axar Patel in the powerplay. The above stats show that KL Rahul has struggled against him in the past, while more generally both Stoinis and Vohra have poor records against slow left-arm bowling. If Kyle Mahers can make it to India in time, he may come into consideration.

Lucknow's more capable and aggressive players of spin come in the middle order in the form of Deepak Hooda. In fact, with Nortje and Ngidi out of the equation, Hooda will be facing a DC bowling line-up that has never dismissed him before in T20 cricket.

DC's available bowling attack vs Deepak Hooda T20 head to head stats

LSG bowling vs DC batting

Mitch Marsh's return to form and fitness is a real bonus for the Capitals although it remains to be seen whether the man nicknamed 'The Bison' will bowl in IPL 2023.

He forms part of what looks to be a very strong DC top order who will come up against one of their former players in Avesh Khan. Avesh has been very impressive during the powerplay over the last couple of seasons as the stats below show although he will be without his partner in crime, Mohsin Khan, who himself took 6 wickets in the powerplay last season at an economy of less than a run a ball.

Avesh Khan powerplay bowling stats for LSG and India in 2022

Delhi will undoubtedly come out hard in the powerplay. They scored an average of 54 runs per innings while the field restrictions were in place during IPL 2022 and they may wish to attack the LSG seamers when you consider the poor record that a few of their batsmen have against Lucknow's slower bowlers.

Rovman Powell, for example, has been dismissed 4 times by Ravi Bishnoi in T20 cricket while Bishnoi has claimed David Warner's wicket on 3 occasions despite having bowled just 6 deliveries to the left hander. In all 3 occasions, Warner was well set, so expect Bishnoi (who took combined figures of 3 for 50 in 8 overs against DC last year) to be introduced as soon as the powerplay is finished if Warner is still at the crease.

Warner's overall record against wrist spin is good enough that you'd expect that to correct itself over time although he and a few of his fellow DC colleagues have struggled to score off LSG's new signing Jaydev Unadkat who recently celebrated a recall to the national side after a very impressive domestic season. Given the injury to Mohsin Khan, Udadkat looks likely to play a key role for LSG in IPL 2023.

Unadkat vs Warner T20 head to head stats

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All stats used in this blog are from my own databases which are freely accessible below
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