When the Lucknow Super Giants face the four-time champion Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday in the Indian Premier League, they are keeping their fingers crossed for the availability of their injured skipper KL Rahul, who has joined Jaydev Unadkat in the recovery room.
Due to their famed batting lineup's failure to chase a total of 126 against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday at the same venue, Lucknow's dressing room will be slightly nervous against CSK.
During the match against RCB, Rahul suffered an injury to his right thigh, and Unadkat fell hard while bowling at the nets on Sunday.
The severity of the two injuries has not yet been determined, but Rahul started at No. 11 faced three balls in LSG's unsuccessful run chase without scoring. His consideration in the LSG group for Wednesday's match is dubious.
Players like Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran, Marcus Stoinis and Krunal Pandya have contributed exclusively as well as all in all in past games to keep the Lucknow establishment above water while captain Rahul has not been at his best after the two half hundreds of years (74 against Punjab Lords and 68 against Gujarat Titans).
This season, LSG has performed wildly. While from one viewpoint, they have given telling exhibitions that have turned into the jealousy of different sides, they likewise have an implosion button stowed away some place, which goes off naturally.
Their game on April 28 against the Punjab Kings served as a reminder of what the team can accomplish when working together, while their game on Monday against the RCB served as an illustration of how disastrously a team can lose while chasing a meager total of 126.
Mayers, Badoni, Stoinis, Pooran, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Yash Thakur all contributed to the 257 for five victory over Punjab Kings, which resulted in a 56-run victory. However, they failed collectively against RCB.
The MS Dhoni-led CSK may have enough confidence to go all out on the offensive given their propensity to give in to pressure, especially considering that captain Rahul may not be able to play on Wednesday due to a likely pulled hip flexor muscle.
With 10 points from nine games, LSG is third in the IPL standings. However, CSK, who are also on 10 points from nine games but are fourth due to a lower net run rate (NRR), may take advantage of their morale-shattering 18-run loss to RCB.
Even though CSK have lost to Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings twice in a row, their ability to come back is unquestionable.
The former India captain could take advantage of the situation, particularly if Rahul does not play on Wednesday, as Dhoni's tactical acumen has been crucial to the majority of their victories this season.
CSK will rely heavily on their New Zealand opener Devon Conway once more. Conway has scored 414 runs in nine matches at an average of 59.14 and a strike rate of 144.25, which is the best he has ever been.
It was misfortune that CSK lost to Punjab notwithstanding Conway crushing an unbeaten 92 at Chepauk to direct his group to 200 for four, just to see the absolute being redesignd off the last ball.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja and Ajinkya Rahane are players with large match disposition and can discharge on some random day, while the Sri Lankan couple of Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana have been powerful weapons in CSK's bowling arms stockpile, not to fail to remember Moeen Ali and Jadeja.
A lot will depend on who leads LSG on Wednesday's field. CSK can take advantage of the same circumstance if Rahul does not play on Wednesday, just as RCB did on Monday when they were without him for a significant portion of the game.