IPL 2025: Opener's dilemma for Delhi as confident Lucknow look to dominate

Lucknow, April 21 (IANS) The IPL caravan rolls into the ‘City of Nawabs’ on Tuesday, where a surging Lucknow Super Giants unit will host the inconsistent yet dangerous Delhi Capitals. On paper, both teams are locked at 10 points, but in execution, it’s the home team that has shown greater cohesion and confidence—especially with their bowling brilliance and solid top-order execution.

For Delhi Capitals, it’s been a season of musical chairs at the top. Whether it was the injured Faf du Plessis, the explosive Jake Fraser-McGurk, the promising Abhishek Porel, or the experienced Karun Nair — the opening slot has resembled a revolving door.

While the Capitals have somehow scraped through courtesy of a gritty middle-order led by KL Rahul, it’s a strategy that may fall flat against a Lucknow side that chokes games in the second half with quiet ruthlessness. With bowlers like Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, and Digvesh Rathi stepping up, LSG have turned defense into a formidable attack.

Avesh Khan, in particular, is peaking at the right time. His brilliance in the death overs against Rajasthan Royals, especially in the penultimate and final overs, helped LSG pull off a thrilling two-run win. Such performances have instilled a quiet belief that this team can claw their way out of almost any situation.

That said, DC know they cannot keep leaving their middle-order to mop up messes. A consistent start from their top order could go a long way in shifting the momentum early, especially with the uncertainty still looming over Du Plessis’ fitness.

In contrast, Lucknow's top-order has been a dependable engine. The trio of Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, and Aiden Markram have clicked more often than not, providing their side consistent platforms in the Powerplay. Pooran's fearless striking, combined with Marsh’s calculated aggression and Markram’s composure, has made LSG one of the most dangerous teams in the first six overs.

Interestingly though, the skippers of both sides present contrasting narratives to their team’s campaigns. Rishabh Pant, the LSG captain in this alternate timeline, has struggled to find form. With just 106 runs from eight matches and only one impactful knock to his name, Pant's lack of runs and strike-rate of 98 have been causes for concern. Against Delhi’s fiery bowling quartet of Starc, Kuldeep, Mukesh Kumar and young Vipraj Nigam, the southpaw will be under pressure to turn his personal form around.

On the other side, Axar Patel’s captaincy for Delhi Capitals has been admirable. With the bat, he’s been a revelation — scoring 140 runs at a strike-rate of 159. But his bowling, once his strongest suit, has seen a dip — just one wicket in seven games with an economy creeping past 9.3. The dual burden of captaincy and top-order batting seems to be affecting his effectiveness as a bowler.

For DC, a more balanced Axar could be the key to regaining bowling control, especially when up against stroke-makers like Markram and Pooran. A recalibration of roles might be due, with the management perhaps pushing him to embrace his primary role as a bowler first.

Where: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

When: April 22, Tuesday

Streaming: Star Sports Network and JioHotstar

Squads:

Lucknow Super Giants: Rishabh Pant (c/wk), Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, David Miller, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Ravi Bishnoi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Matthew Breetzke, Mayank Yadav, Manimaran Siddharth, and others.

Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel (c), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel, Karun Nair, KL Rahul (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Vipraj Nigam, Faf du Plessis (fitness watch), T Natarajan, and others.

--IANS