IPL 2024 LSG vs CSK - Bowlers still win you tournaments

Key match stats

Pitch Stats – Ekana Stadium IPL records

Pitch report from the 10 most recent IPL matches played at the Ekana Stadium

Team form LSG vs CSK
LSG: LLWWL
CSK: WWLLW

Recent meetings: IPL 2023 - No Result, CSK won by 12 runs

Weather

General Forecast: Dry and Clear
Chance of dew: Low

Preview LSG vs CSK

Delhi Capitals coach and former Australian captain Ricky Ponting was quoted earlier in the week as saying that power hitting as opposed to defensive bowling would win this year's IPL.

While of course the ability to put runs on the board is a key to winning any T20 tournament, history tells us that it is the best bowling units that generally come out on top.

Yes, we've seen some very big run scoring both this season and last, in no small part due to the introduction of the impact sub which has allowed teams to go harder for longer. However, that's a rule change that has benefitted all teams resulting in them setting their sights of what is a winning score higher than in the past.

Where the difference is really made then is in the field and it continues to be the sides like CSK who have a plethora of bowling options and an understanding of the conditions and match-ups that those options are most effective in that will win titles. They demonstrated as much against Mumbai Indians on Sunday by closing down a side who have been posting 200+ scores at their home ground for fun in recent years.

As well as picking the right team for that encounter, it was also the execution of their skills and plans that really stood out from the CSK bowlers. There is the temptation to consider T20 cricket as simply being a game of who can smash the ball the furthest, which is what Ponting seems to be alluding too. However, there is clearly a much deeper thought process involved, at least at the franchises who actually win things, and that shone through in CSK's performance on Sunday.

For their part, LSG could probably do with a bit more crash, bang, wallop in their batting. Their success over their first 2 seasons in the IPL has usually been built on a solid foundation at the top. However, they've lost an average of 2 wickets in the powerplay so far this season (more than any other side) while only scoring at 8.6 an over.

The scoring rate in part can be put down to the difficult conditions they find themselves playing in here at the Ekana Stadium which is by far the toughest pitch in which to up the ante on. However, the wickets lost are what are really hurting them, constantly forcing a rebuild of the innings, not allowing them to build momentum and sometimes leaving them short at the death.

In fact, LSG's death overs scoring is also the worst in the league! The are the only side this season to score at under 10s during the final 5 overs of their innings. There is of course some truth in Ponting's comments and teams will certainly need to be able to put monster scores on the board throughout this season's IPL. That however is going to be easier said than done on this pitch and against this CSK attack.

LSG CSK head to head

CSK bowling vs LSG batting

Having gone for 4 seamers and Ravi Jadeja at the Wankhede on Sunday, it will be interesting to see how CSK assess conditions here in Ekana when picking their side. Last season, they deployed 3 spinners (Jadeja, Moeen and Thekshana) on this pitch and they effectively strangled LSG who were 125 for 7 when the rain came and probably spared them a defeat.

Quinton de Kock head to head Moeen Ali T20 cricket

Moeen was the stand out for that match with 4 overs, 2 for 13. He provides a very good match-up against LSG's left-handers and could slot in for Daryl Mitchell if CSK are keen to keep their 2 inform overseas quicks in the side.

A large part of LSG's batting problems stem from the lack of form shown by some of their domestic players. Devdutt Padikkal can't keep his place for much longer while Deepak Hooda has been very disappointing since the start of last season. Hooda isn't helped by the fact that he's been in and out of the team and shunted up and down the order.

One player who has found some consistent form this season is Nicolas Pooran who has only had 1 failure all season (a duck against DC). In his 6 innings to date, he's also been left not out on 3 occassions which does beg question as to whether he's coming in too late?

Pooran head to head Jadeja T20 cricket

We certainly know that he has the ball striking ability at the back end of the innings but he also has a an excellent T20 record against left-arm orthodox spin and wrist-spin. In other words, he's not a player that needs protecting until the spinners have largely gone out of the game. LSG and Pooran might want to look at the role that Dube plays at CSK as a potential option for 'Nicky P'.

LSG bowling vs CSK batting

Speaking of Dube, is there a more improved player in the IPL over the last couple of seasons than the big left-hander?

Dube head to head Naveen-ul-Haq

He played a brilliant knock at Mumbai, firstly by just seeing off Bumrah, a match-up that was definitely not in his favour and then by simply being present at the crease which limited MI's ability to bring spin back into the middle overs. Shreyas Gopal who had gotten the initial break through did not bowl another over largely due to Dube's fearsome reputation. Instead, MI were forced to turn to their all-rounders in Hardik and Romario Shepherd who got hit around the Wankhede.

I see a lot of people posting potential T20 World Cup squads for India on social media and Dube features in very few of them. Why? His skill set will be ideal for conditions on what are likely to be slower wickets in North America and the Caribbean.

Exterting pressure in those middle overs via the likes of Bisnoi and Krunal Pandya is precisely what lead to LSG's good start to the IPL season. However, they've struggled to replicate that in their last 2 games with Pandya being particularly expensive.

Krunal Pandya bowling performance in first 4 games of IPL 2024 vs last 2 games

They have also missed the x-factor of Mayank Yadav who sat out those 2 defeats with injury. I mentioned in my preview of LSG prior to the start of the tournament that they lack a true leader of their bowling attack. It might be too early to heap that kind of pressure on the young man's shoulders but they certainly look like a more rounded bowling unit when he's in the side.

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All stats used in this blog are from my own databases which are freely accessible below
IPL player head to head records
IPL player records by stadium
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