LSG vs MI: Not KL Rahul or Marcus Stoinis!! Aakash Chopra names this player as Lucknow's lifeline

Former Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Aakash Chopra feels that Nicholas Pooran will have a big knock to play against Mumbai Indians later tonight. 

Hardik Pandya's MI are all set to visit KL Rahul's Lucknow Super Giants for match number 48 at the Ekana Sports Stadium in Lucknow. This will be the two team's first meeting of the IPL 2024 season. Both of the teams, who have had a contrasting season so far, will be playing their 10th match of the season and both are in a must-win situation. 

What did Aakash Chopra say about Nicholas Pooran? 

While speaking on his latest YouTube video made on MI Vs LSG's clash later tonight, Aakash Chopra expressed his high expectations for Nicholas Pooran. Chopra feels that Pooran will be the batter to watch out for from Lucknow's batting order which contains some dangerous names like Quinton de Kock, Rahul, and Marcus Stoinis among others. 

Aakash Chopra started off by expressing his confidence in Nicholas Pooran, claiming that he is the heartbeat of LSG's batting line-up. The former right-hand batter claimed that Lucknow is at ease till the time Pooran is there at the crease as he has the tendency to hit sixes consistently. 

Chopra stated that Nicholas Pooran doesn't really care about the huge side boundaries in Ekana as his muscle power helps him to clear the fence easily. 

"Nicholas Pooran once again because I have so much confidence in him. I feel you will keep breathing till he is there. He will keep hitting sixes. The side boundaries are huge but it doesn't matter to him. He says they might be big but he will still manage." - Aakash Chopra said via his latest YT video.  

The 38-year-old then stated a very good reason why Nicholas Pooran would be determined to score runs in front of home fans. Chopra highlighted the way Pooran had got out in Lucknow's previous game against Rajasthan Royals. Pooran left the crease in just the first ball after the 2nd strategic timeout of the 1st innings at the Sawai Mansingh stadium. 

With that on his mind, Pooran will be eager to get back to basics. Another key reason why Pooran must score is the fact that LSG falls short of 20-25 runs every time the Trinidadian fails to score runs, according to Aakash Chopra. 

"He got out in the last match off the first ball after the strategic timeout. So he might be regretting that. If you bat first and he doesn't score runs, you are at least 20-25 runs short. That's what happened. No bowler apart from (Jasprit) Bumrah has performed well thus far, so you must back Nicholas Pooran." - Chopra concluded. 

LSG aiming to go 3rd in the points table

A win tonight will take KL Rahul's LSG to the 3rd spot, overtaking the Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad who sit 3rd and 4th in the table. And a big margin win tonight can also see them replace Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2nd spot. Can Lucknow make matters worse for Mumbai Indians? Time will tell.