On Friday, the Lucknow Super Giants suffered a significant defeat against the Delhi Capitals in their IPL 2024 match, losing by six wickets. Despite being led by KL Rahul and enjoying a streak of three consecutive wins, Lucknow was outplayed by Delhi's spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who made a strong comeback with figures of 3/20. This performance helped restrict the hosts to 167/7. In response, the Capitals comfortably chased down the target with 11 balls remaining, clinching a crucial victory that propelled them from the bottom of the table. During their match against the Capitals, the Lucknow Super Giants felt the absence of one of their key pacers, Mayank Yadav.
The 21-year-old fast bowler had become a vital asset for the team due to his remarkable pace of over 150 kph coupled with excellent accuracy. Mayank had made a significant impact since his debut for the Super Giants against the Punjab Kings, picking up seven wickets in three matches. Unfortunately, an injury sidelined him during the team's game against the Gujarat Titans last week.
The absence of Mayank Yadav was palpably felt by the Lucknow Super Giants during their bowling innings, particularly as Jake Fraser-McGurk (55*) and Rishabh Pant (41) unleashed blistering knocks, propelling the Delhi Capitals to a comprehensive victory. During the post-match presentation, KL Rahul provided an update on Mayank's potential return.
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Rahul mentioned that Mayank Yadav is feeling and looking good, but the team is cautious not to rush him back. They want to protect his body and ensure he's fully fit before returning, despite Mayank's eagerness to play. The team management remains cautious about handling the young pacer.
Earlier, the team's head coach, Justin Langer, had mentioned that Mayank isn't likely to make a comeback before LSG's match against the Chennai Super Kings, set for April 19th.
Following the defeat against the Capitals, LSG has slipped to the fourth position in the points table, with their net run rate taking a hit. Currently standing at 0.436, LSG now trails behind CSK, who holds a net run rate of 0.666. Notably, KKR holds the second position, propelled by a substantial net run rate of 1.528. At this stage, four teams—KKR, CSK, LSG, and SRH—are level on points.
On the other hand, the Delhi Capitals have now moved up to the ninth position on the table, having secured two wins and endured four losses thus far in the tournament.
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