IPL 2024: Delhi Capitals eye season's second win vs LSG

Delhi Capitals players celebrate the wicket of Mumbai Indians’s Suryakumar Yadav at Wankhede recently. Pic/BCCI; IPL

With the IPL not even at the halfway stage, teams are saddled with injury concerns that can adversely affect their chances in the long-drawn tournament. Both Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Delhi Capitals (DC) are battling injuries to their key players and have their fingers crossed as get ready for tonight's clash at the Ekana Stadium. The home team's fast bowlers, Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan have been sidelined by niggles, while DC's concerns are left-arm unorthodox bowler Kuldeep Yadav and Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh.

Besides, the respective captains who are sailing in the same boat. Both KL Rahul of LSG and DC's Rishabh Pant have come back from injuries and are trying to grab the attention of the national selectors as wicketkeeper-batsmen for a spot in the Indian team for the upcoming T20I World Cup. Both are trying hard to prove their form and fitness, besides keeping the hopes of their respective teams alive in the IPL despite facing a plethora of injury concerns.

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LSG skipper KL Rahul

Missing out on in-form players is never easy as it spoils the balance of the team and the captains have to rejig the line-up and hope that the replacements do as well as the injured players.

Yash rises to the occasion

In the last game, in the absence of Mayank Yadav, another young LSG bowler rose to the occasion. Yash Thakur filled in very well and picked up the first fifer of this IPL season. There is no doubt the LSG management would want Mayank and Yash to bowl in tandem against DC so that they can maintain their unbeaten record at home this season. LSG have won both their games here and would like to keep the slate clean on home turf.

On the other hand, the absence of Marsh is a severe blow for the struggling DC, added to the niggle Kuldeep has been carrying for a few matches. "A few of our players are injured, and the worrying sign is Marsh. He has gone for a scan, and the physios will give us a report in a week's time. Only then we will come to know what the exact situation is. Whether he can [play the entire season] or not depends on the reports," assistant coach Pravin Amre said.

It is a big blow for DC as the team have won just one of the five games and are at the bottom of the points table with just two points. With the game against LSG, they would like to turn things around before it gets too late.

‘Ready with alternate plans'

LSG assistant coach Lance Klusener did not give any update on their injured players, but said, "Injuries are a part of modern-day cricket and teams are always ready with alternate plans. We have enough back-up players in the side to fill in; like you saw Yash the other day against Gujarat Titans."

Besides injuries, LSG also face concerns regarding the form of the domestic batters. Rahul has been getting starts, but has not been at his fluent best. His strike-rate is a worry as the team need bigger totals to defend. Then, promising batters Ayush Badoni and Devdutt Padikkal have not lived up to expectations. The LSG management could, thus, bring in Deepak Hooda to prop up the batting.