LSG vs DC Preview: Delhi up against well-assembled Lucknow
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are set to host Delhi Capitals (DC) in match 26 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Friday, April 12.
The Super Giants lost their opening encounter against Rajasthan Royals but have won three matches on the trot since then. KL Rahul’s men won their last three games against Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Gujarat Titans. In their last game against Gujarat, Lucknow scored 163/5 before dismissing the former champions for 130 at home.
Quinton de Kock has been in fine form, while the likes of Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran have also chipped in. However, Rahul’s form is going to bother them. On the bowling front, Mayank Yadav has been the star of the show as he has bamboozled batters with his pace. However, he suffered an injury in the previous game and bowled only one over. In his absence, another young pacer, Yash Thakur bagged a five-for.
Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals have had a forgettable start to their IPL 2024 campaign as they have won only one out of the five matches they have played. After losing to Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals in their first two matches, Rishabh Pant and Co. shocked defending champions Chennai Super Kings to register their first points of the season. However, they couldn’t build on the win as they suffered heavy defeats against Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians. In their last game, Mumbai amassed 234/5 before winning by 29 runs.
Rishabh Pant has two half-centuries so far in the tournament and has looked in good touch. After missing the first two games, Prithvi Shaw has played a couple of good knocks and registered a half-century in the last game against Mumbai. Another batter who has looked in sublime form is Tristan Stubbs, who amassed 71 runs off 25 balls in the last game. The bowling unit has struggled big time in the absence of Kuldeep Yadav and Mukesh Kumar. Delhi fans will hope to see them back in the side as soon as possible.
Head to Head
Lucknow is unbeaten so far against the Capitals. The two teams have faced each other on three occasions. LSG has a clean 3-0 lead in the head-to-head scoreline against the Delhi-based side.
Probable Playing XI
Lucknow Super Giants: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul (C/WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mayank Yadav/Mohsin Khan, Impact Sub – M Siddharth
Delhi Capitals: David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Abhishek Porel, Rishabh Pant (C/WK), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Jhye Richardson, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Impact Sub – Kumar Kushagra
Pitch Report
Batters find it difficult to score their runs at Ekana as the ball tends to slow down considerably after pitching. Chasing isn’t easy at this venue and the captain who wins the toss could opt to bat first and get as many runs as possible on the tricky surface.
