Visakhapatnam: The spotlight will be on Rishabh Pant as he leads Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) against his former team, Delhi Capitals (DC), in the fourth match of IPL 2025 at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium on Monday.
This highly anticipated clash comes as Pant takes charge of LSG after being Delhi’s top scorer last season and their long-time leader. His battle against DC’s new captain, Axar Patel, adds further intrigue to the contest.
Delhi enter the match with a better recent record, winning three of their last five games, while Lucknow have struggled, losing three in the same period. In head-to-head encounters, Delhi holds a slight edge, having won two of their last three matches against Lucknow, including a 19-run victory in their most recent clash on May 14, 2024.
Rishabh was the backbone of Delhi for several seasons, not only as their captain but also as their most consistent performer. Last season, he was their top scorer with 446 runs despite just returning from injury. However, IPL 2025 sees a fresh chapter as he dons the LSG jersey and faces off against his former teammates.
Delhi, now under the leadership of Axar Patel, will be eager to prove they can thrive without their former captain. Axar has a point to prove, and his leadership will be tested immediately against a motivated Rishabh, who will look to lead LSG from the front.
Delhi will be eager to break their three-season playoff drought. The team underwent significant changes in the auction, with Axar taking over captaincy from Rishabh, marking a major shift in the franchise's leadership.
The top order appears formidable, featuring Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, and KL Rahul. Fraser-McGurk’s aggressive style and strike rate of 234 in IPL 2024 make him a key player, while Rahul brings consistency, having scored 500+ runs in six of the last seven seasons.
However, bowling remains a concern for Delhi. With Indian pacers Mukesh Kumar, Mohit Sharma, and T Natarajan lacking recent international experience, Mitchell Starc will lead the attack despite past struggles in the powerplay.
Rishabh's move to Lucknow has reinvigorated the franchise, and he will be eager to prove his leadership credentials in a new environment. Alongside him, LSG has built a formidable lineup featuring Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, and finishers like Ayush Badoni and David Miller.
Injuries have plagued Lucknow’s pace attack, with Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, and Mayank Yadav unavailable. The team has roped in Shardul Thakur to strengthen their bowling depth. Meanwhile, Ravi Bishnoi remains their key spinner, expected to play a crucial role on the sluggish Visakhapatnam track.
The pitch at Visakhapatnam generally favours spinners, with low bounce making strokeplay difficult in the second innings. However, high-scoring matches were recorded last season, with first-innings totals of 191/5 and 272/7.
The weather forecast indicates partly cloudy conditions with possible afternoon showers that could delay the match start.
Teams prefer batting first at this venue, given past results where first-innings scores of around 180-200 proved decisive.
With a stronger squad on paper, Delhi enter as favourites, particularly against an injury-hit Lucknow side. However, all eyes will be on Rishabh as he faces his former team in an emotionally charged contest. His battle against Axar's new-look Delhi unit is expected to be a key storyline in IPL 2025.
Teams
Delhi Capitals: Faf du Plessis, Karun Nair, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Tripurana Vijay, Vipraj Nigam, Axar Patel (Captain), Darshan Nalkande, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Manvanth Kumar L, Madhav Tiwari, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel, Donovan Ferreira, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Dushmantha Chameera, Mitchell Starc, Mohit Sharma, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar.
Lucknow Super Giants: Himmat Singh, David Miller, Aiden Markram, Ayush Badoni, Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Arshin Kulkarni, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Shahbaz Ahmed, RS Hangargekar, Matthew Breetzke, Nicholas Pooran, Aryan Juyal, Rishabh Pant (Captain), Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Akash Deep, Manimaran Siddharth, Shamar Joseph, Avesh Khan, Prince Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Akash Maharaj Singh, Digvesh Rathi.
