Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be locking horns with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 42nd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 at the MCA Stadium in Pune. Both sides are coming off a win in their previous game and they have had some good outings as well. Under the captaincy of Mayank Agarwal, PBKS had defended their total against the CSK on account of an excellent death bowling exhibition from the likes of Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, and Rishi Dhawan.

On the other hand, the Lucknow Super Giants put out an impressive performance in their previous game against the Mumbai Indians and got their campaign back on track. With five wins in the 8 matches they have played so far, the KL Rahul-led side is currently placed at the fourth position in the points table with ten points.

ALSO READ: Match 43 (PBKS vs LSG) – Probable XI And Fantasy XI

Four out of the seven matches at the MCA Stadium have been won by teams batting first with Rajasthan Royals (RR) even going on to defend the lowest total of the season, 144. The dew hasn’t been of much help to chasing teams but the pitches have generally been kind to the batters, and spinners as the game progress. Barring the RR game, all other totals here have been in excess of 150.

Both teams come off impressive wins and with proven matchwinners on either side, we take a look at the player battles to watch out for.

#1 Mayank Agarwal vs Avesh Khan

The PBKS skipper hasn’t been able to do much with his bat for his team as he has scored just 136 runs from seven games in IPL 2022. But he cannot be counted out considering the breezy starts he gets off to. Avesh Khan has been a crucial cog in the LSG squad as he has managed to scalp 11 wickets from 7 games at an average of 20.09 and an economy rate of 8.28. His pace and bounce is something Agarwal will relish and because of that, the content between the two will be a cracker. 

#2 KL Rahul vs Kagiso Rabada

Like Jos Buttler, KL Rahul has been scoring centuries at will. He has been leading the new franchise with the bat notching up 368 runs from eight matches at an average of 61.33 and a strike rate of 147.79. Kagiso Rabada dismissed Rahul just once in the IPL and the seamer has been pivotal for PBKS with nine wickets from seven matches. The contest will be between class and pace. 

#3 Dushmantha Chameera vs Shikhar Dhawan

Dushmantha Chameera has been one of the finds of the IPL for LSG. The Sri Lankan seamer, with the ability to clock in excess of 140 mph can make life difficult for batters. He will be hoping to dismiss Shikhar Dhawan early on in the innings. The veteran southpaw has been consistent at the top for Punjab, as he has amassed 302 runs from eight matches at an average of 43.14 and a strike rate of 132.45. Chameera’s swing might put Dhawan under some pressure.