Lucknow Super Giants has one foot in the Indian Premier League playoffs and when the K.L. Rahul-led team takes on Kolkata Knight Riders at the DY Patil Stadium on Wednesday, it would be aiming to seal its spot in the top-four.
Currently placed third with 16 points, Lucknow lost its last two games - against Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals - and captain Rahul admits “there is a bit of pressure” going forward.
In their last two outings, Lucknow batters have struggled in the Powerplay and the team will largely depend on Rahul and Quinton de Kock to regain their touch. While the middle-order is anchored by Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya and Ayush Badoni need to be consistent.
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For the Knights, too, it is a must-win match. However, even if it wins against Super Giants, KKR can only make it to the playoffs if both Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals lose their games against Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians, respectively.
But keeping the calculations aside, KKR aims to defeat Lucknow and for that, it has its hopes pinned on the all-round abilities of Andre Russell. With Ajinkya Rahane ruled out of the tournament due to an injury, KKR’s top-order depends on how Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana fare against Lucknow pacers - Avesh Khan and Mohsin Khan.
In the absence of Pat Cummins, Umesh Yadav and Tim Southee will spearhead KKR’s bowling, while the spin duo of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy needs to be in their element.
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