IPL 2023 RCB vs LSG Preview - Bangalore seeking to use home advantage to put winning streak together

Key match stats

Pitch Stats – M Chinnaswamy Stadium

Average first innings score: 169
Average first innings winning score: 188
Average powerplay score: 46
Win % batting 1st vs batting 2nd: 41% / 54%

Team form RCB vs LSG

RCB: LW
LSG :WLW

Recent meetings: IPL 2022 - RCB won by 14 runs, RCB won by 18 runs

Preview RCB vs LSG

Royal Challengers Bangalore return to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium where they'll play 5 of their next 6 matches knowing that for them, this will be a crucial period if they hope to make it 4 seasons in a row of qualifying for the playoffs.

Their recent defeat in Kolkata demonstrated just how important home advantage is going to be in the IPL this season, with KKR taking advantage of a spinning track to dish out a heavy defeat.

As far as RCB are concerned, they could take a pragmatic view of things and just say that they were ultimately defeated by a great innings from Shardul Thakur that put KKR beyond their reach. If you were going to be more critical, you would argue that something similar has happened in both their matches to date in IPL 2023 where having had a team on the ropes, they've allowed them to get up and post at least a competitive total.

Certainly RCB's powerplay bowling is looking like a strength at the moment with 5 wickets claimed during those opening 2 games and of course they are set to welcome back Hasaranga in the very near future to strengthen their middle over wicket taking options. The Sri Lankan will join the squad in time to take part in this game but it will be touch and go as to whether he is able to play following the long haul flight from New Zealand.

However, where things aren't looking so great is at the death where RCB are almost entirely reliant on Harshal Patel and Mohammed Siraj to deliver. Harshal is a specialist at the back end of innings but Siraj is most certainly not. If RCB are relying on him to bowl 2 overs at the death then they'll be plenty of finishers out their who will be looking forward to those 12 deliveries.

Siraj death bowling stats since the start of IPL 2022

Speaking of home advantage, LSG know just what needs to be done in favourable conditions to get the win at your own ground having prepared a couple of very different but ultimately advantageous pitches for their chosen attack. Can they get their first win on the road in IPL 2023 in this match?

What we know about his Lucknow side is that they like to bat first. In their relatively short IPL history, they've won 8 out of 9 matches batting first with only last year's champions Gujarat Titans, who themselves are specialist chasers, being able to defeat them. LSG lost both games against RCB last season (including in the playoffs) when they were chasing. However, if either side opts to bat first on this pitch then they are likely to need to go very big in order to secure victory.

Venue	Average winning score batting first
M Chinnaswamy	188.4
Wankhede	181.4
IS Bindra	179.4

Highest average winning scores batting first for IPL venues in India (min. 10 IPL matches played)

We saw in the first match that took place here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium that Mumbai's total of 171 was well short of par and over the history of the IPL this venue has required scores around the 190 mark at least for sides to win batting first. It'll certainly be an interesting to see what the captain who wins the toss decides to do!

RCB vs LSG head to head

LSG bowling vs RCB batting

I think it's safe to say that we'll see a very different bowling attack from LSG than we did in their last match when they fielded 3 front line spinners and bowled 13 out of their 20 overs using slower bowlers.

Avesh Khan missed the SRH win with a niggle while Mark Wood was ill. Neither were missed on the pitch at the Ekana Stadium last week but LSG will certainly want them back for this one.

Avesh Khan dismissals vs Virat Kohli

Avesh has dismissed Virat Kohli twice from just the 10 balls he's bowled at him in the IPL and he gave the former India captain a big send off during their last meeting, so that is certainly a battle that fans will be keen to see continue.

By contrast, Kohli has very much enjoyed the extra pace offered by Mark Wood during their previous T20 encounters, going along at a strike rate of 240+ against the English quick!

Wood vs Kohli T20 head to head

While the spin will be nowhere near as extravagant as at the Ekana stadium and the pitch in Bangalore should have significantly more pace in it, that is not to say that LSG's slower bowlers won't be crucial to the outcome of this match. At the very least they'll try to limit the scoring through the middle overs which is something that Krunal Pandya has done to great effect on his previous visits in the IPL to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Krunal Pandya IPL bowling stats at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium

A player who has struggled against RCB's right handers in past meetings is Ravi Bishnoi. The tendency for batsmen is to play Bishnoi as a googly bowler with the wrist spinner rarely looking to bowl a genuine leg-break. However, as Harry Brook found to his detriment in the recent game against LSG, he does slip the occasional leggie in there and if that is something that he can continue to develop then he will become a far more effective operator going forward, particularly against right handed batsmen.

Bishnoi T20 head to head record vs RCB's 4 main right-handers (Kohli, du Plessis, Maxwell and Karthik

RCB bowling vs LSG batting

Quinton de Kock remained on the side lines for Lucknow's game against the Sunrisers but there must be a temptation to bring him in for this match at a venue that he knows so well from his time with RCB.

QdK IPL batting record at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium

The question then is who do you drop? It could be a straight swap for Mayers at the top of the order or as a keeper batsman instead of Pooran. Alternatively, they could bring him in instead of Marcus Stoinis, althought the big Aussie might well be a factor here in the death overs against a pace attack which is struggling to contain batsmen in that phase of the game. Of course, if Mark Wood is still unwell then LSG could take the decision to use all 4 overseas slot for their batsmen!

LSG will be keen to keep Mayers in the side not only due to his good form but also because of his excellent T20 record against left-arm fast medium bowling. With David Willey likely to bowl at least 2 overs in he powerplay then if he plays it will be Mayers who is charged with taking the Englishman on.

Batsman	Ave vs left-arm fast medium	S/R vs left-arm fast medium
Mayers	50.0	123.8
de Kock	33.5	129.2

Mayer and de Kock T20 career stats vs left-arm fast medium bowling

Meanwhile, KL Rahul will look to blunt the threat of the right-armer in Mohammed Siraj whom he has an excellent head to head record against.

Siraj vs KL Rahul T20 head to head

We've noted above, RCB's troubles at the death so far in IPL 2023. Meanwhile, scoring quickly at the end of the innings is something that LSG have been excellent at during their first season and a bit in the tournament. In 2022, they had the highest run-rate during the final 5 overs of any team, scoring at 11 an over. So far this year, they are exceeding that at a run rate of just shy of 12 an over. If they have set batsmen during that phase and at this stadium with its smaller boundaries and higher altitude then look out!

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