Lucknow was not very kind to KL Rahul in the last IPL season. Will the keeper-batter make a statement with his performance at the Ekana Stadium, which was ‘home’ to him last year, when he pads up on Tuesday?

But it will be unfair to look at the Lucknow Super Giants-Delhi Capitals match only from that angle as there’s much more to talk about the game which will feature two of the better teams this season.

Both of them are on 10 points, though Lucknow have played a match more than
the Capitals.

Quality-wise, both teams have some fine T20 players and so a fierce battle can be expected. The first-leg match between the two sides earlier this season saw a nail-biting finish as the Capitals emerged victorious by just one wicket, thanks to Ashutosh Sharma’s superlative innings.

If momentum carries any importance, Lucknow will have that as they are coming off a gutsy win over Rajasthan Royals. The Capitals, on the other hand, were beaten comprehensively by Gujarat Titans.

Capitals have had few headaches this season, performing like a well-oiled machine. But opening has been an issue and they are yet to have a settled pair of openers. Faf du Plessis’ injury forced them to try out different pairs, rotating the job between Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abhishek Porel and Karun Nair.

It’s the middle and the lower middle-order, led by Rahul, which has been the Capitals’ backbone. The bowling has been good, though Mitchell Starc and Kuldeep Yadav were proved ineffective against the Titans.

Lucknow, led by Rishabh Pant, have not always been convincing but have nevertheless got the job done. Their overseas batting trio of Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran have been scoring heavily, while it was their bowlers which earned them a thrilling 2-run win against the Royals in their last match.