Delhi eyes improvement against in-form Lucknow Super Giants

LUCKNOW: Delhi Capitals’ bowling unit will have to punch above its weight against an in-form Lucknow Super Giants, which will start as overwhelming favourite here on Friday.

LSG, which sits on the third spot on the points table, seems to have all its bases covered even though rookie pacer Mayank Yadav, who bowls thunderbolts in excess of 150 kmph, is likely to miss the match because of an abdominal niggle.

The 21-year-old bowled just one over against Gujarat Titans before walking off the field, complaining of soreness last week.

In Yadav’s absence, another rookie pacer, Yash Thakur starred with a five-wicket haul against GT. He will have the company of Naveen-ul-Haq, Krunal Pandya and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi among others.

LSG boasts of a strong opening pair of Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul. The South African has scored two half-centuries but the captain is yet to convert his starts into something meaningful. The flamboyant Nicholas Pooran has been in sensational form, adding meat to LSG’s total at the fag end of the innings.

The major concern for the Lucknow outfit, however, remains Devdutt Padikkal who is yet to reach double digits.

The visitor, on the other hand, is looking like an outfit bereft of a Plan B as it became apparent in its 106-run hammering by Kolkata Knight Riders. The latest loss to a struggling Mumbai Indians has left it languishing at the bottom of the points table with the worst net run rate of -1.370.

The primary worry is the composition of the Indian pace attack, which just lacks spunk.

The onus will be on Khaleel Ahmed and old warhorse Ishant Sharma once again but the duo hasn’t been able to deliver consistently. Mukesh Kumar is expected to be back from injury but he has also not set the stage ablaze with his performances.

And, medium pacers Sumit Kumar and Rasikh Dar could well be lambs for slaughter against the likes of de Kock, Stoinis and Pooran.

To add to its woes, pace spearhead Anrich Nortje has been unable to shrug off the rust since coming off his injury, leaking runs at an economy of 13.43 in four outings.