Lucknow Super Giants will lock horns against Punjab Kings in the 21st match of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2023 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Saturday. LSG is currently in second place with three wins in four matches whereas PBKS is in sixth position in the standings with two wins and as many losses.

We look at the current form, head-to-head, players to look out for, and squads of both teams in our match preview.

Current form for PBKS: L L W W

Punjab Kings’ batting unit has failed to deliver in the last two matches. The Shikhar Dhawan-led team could only manage 143 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad whereas they posted 153 runs on the board against Gujarat Titans. Thus, they will want their batters to fire at all cylinders.

Current form for LSG: W W L W

Lucknow Super Giants have ticked the right boxes so far in the tournament. Their middle order has stepped up while the bowlers have also done a decent job. However, KL Rahul has failed to hit the ground running at the top of the order and he will need to bat freely to give his team a good start.

Head to Head: Matches: 1, Won by LSG: 1, Won by PBKS: 0.

Lucknow had won the previous season’s match by 20 runs against PBKS.

Players to watch out for: Shikhar Dhawan, Sam Curran, Arshdeep Singh, Sikandar Raza, and Kagiso Rabada will hold the key for PBKS.

KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Mark Wood, Ravi Bishnoi, and Mohsin Khan will be the crucial players for LSG.

PBKS IPL 2023 SQUAD

Wicketkeepers: Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma.

Batters: Shikhar Dhawan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa (SL), M. Shahrukh Khan, Atharva Taide, Harpreet Bhatia.

All-rounders: Raj Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone (ENG), Sam Curran (ENG), Sikandar Raza (ZIM), Shivam Singh, Mohit Rathee, Matthew Short.

Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Rahul Chahar, Nathan Ellis (AUS), Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada (SA), Vidwath Kaverappa.

LSG IPL 2023 SQUAD

Wicketkeepers: Quinton de Kock (SA), Manan Vohra, Nicholas Pooran (WI),

Batters: KL Rahul, Ayush Badoni.

All-rounders: Krishnappa Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Kyle Mayers (WI), Krunal Pandya, Karan Sharma, Marcus Stoinis (AUS), Romario Shepherd (WI), Daniel Sams (AUS), Prerak Mankad, Swapnil Singh, Yudhvir Charak,

Bowlers: Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Mark Wood (ENG), Mayank Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra, Naveen-ul-Haq (AFG).