IPL 2022: LSG vs PBKS Toss, Playing 11 Update, Pitch Report, Pre-Match Comments: Mayank Agarwal opts to field

Mumbai, April 29: In match no. 42 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season, KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants take on Punjab Kings, who are being led by Mayank Agarwal, at the MCA Stadium, Pune on Friday (April 29).

Toss Update: Punjab Kings captain Mayank Agarwal has won the toss and invited Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul to bat first. PBKS are chasing.

After winning the toss, Mayank Agarwal said, "We are going to bowl first. We'd like to know what total to chase. No changes to our line-up. There is very less dew here. The guys are quite flexible. It's going to be a terrific challenge."

LSG skipper KL Rahul said after toss, "When dew is not around, it's quite an even game. I have played here before, we'll have to bat smartly. Manish misses out, Avesh Khan comes in. It's a high boundary-scoring ground, good to have an extra bowling option. It'll be a good opportunity for Jason to bat at seven."

Playing XIs:

Lucknow Super Giants: Quinton de Kock(w), KL Rahul(c), Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, Dushmantha Chameera, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan.

Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Sandeep Sharma, Arshdeep Singh

Pitch Report: Former New Zealand cricketer Danny Morrison brings the pitch report from MCA Stadium and says, "The uniqueness of this pitch for me is about the lengths. Not so much fuller, it's about bowling length and it's about bowling bouncers and getting people out with the short ones. You can see why the players want to bowl short, because of this beautiful, even covering of grass. Guys with pace and energy love it here. 29 wickets to the short ones and 20 off the length, suggests enough little bit of extra bounce here in Pune."

What did the players say ahead of the match?

Marcus Stoinis: Looking forward to today's game. we have had five days between our last game, and we are ready to go, no excuses today. We are just trying to figure out the right make-up for our team. It's a good sign for us because we are still winning, we are sitting at a solid position on the table and I don't think we are playing our best cricket. So, we are figuring a few things out and we're getting to the point again now, so hopefully, we iron out a few of those things. (Preferred batting position) Higher the better, but I am happy to do whatever the team needs. Bowling's good, we've got a lot of options. I am not exactly sure what team we are going in with today but I am assuming there are a lot of bowling options. If required, I am ready to go. If the big boys do the job, I am happy with that. There seems to be quite a bit of bounce here which is a bit different to what we've been playing on. So, the quicks are going to be hitting the wicket quite hard, the boundaries aren't too big though. Hopefully a good batting wicket and a good bowling wicket for medium-pacers.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa: It was a difficult pitch (against CSK), but we played according to the wicket and it's good to see the winning result. (When dropped from the playing XI) I just kept on working on my practices because there's nothing much I could do. When Jonny returned to the side, it was obviously for the team balance. I just kept on training. I am just enjoying the game at the moment. They (LSG) have a very good combined XI, so we just want to go out there and have fun out there. (When asked if he'd given away any trade secrets about Dushmantha Chameera) Probably (and chuckles), I can't say it out in the public.