The Lucknow Super Giants faced a six-wicket defeat at the hands of Delhi Capitals in their IPL 2024 match on Friday. The KL Rahul-led side, which was on a three-match winning run, was wrecked by DC's returning spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, who registered impressive figures of 3/20 as the Capitals restricted the hosts to 167/7 in Lucknow. The visitors, then, chased down the target with 11 balls to spare, securing a much-needed win that lifted them from the bottom of the table.

LSG missed one of their frontline pacers, Mayank Yadav, during the game against the Capitals; the 21-year-old fast bowler emerged as the side's crucial member, owing to his incredible 150+ kph pace with impressive accuracy. Mayank set the league alight since his debut for the Super Giants against the Punjab Kings; he picked seven wickets in three matches before an injury forced him out during the side's game against Gujarat Titans last week.

It was evident that the LSG missed Mayank's services during their bowling innings, as Jake Fraser-McGurk (55*) and Rishabh Pant (41) played blistering knocks to take DC to a comprehensive win. Rahul provided an update on Mayank's potential return during the post-match presentation.

"He (Mayank Yadav) is feeling good, he looks good, but we don't want to rush him. We need to protect his body, he's itching to go. Need to make sure that he's hundred per cent (fit) before he comes back in a couple of matches," said Rahul, insisting the team management remains cautious over the handling of the young pacer.

Earlier, the side's head coach, Justin Langer, had also stated that Mayank isn't expected to return before LSG's clash against the Chennai Super Kings, scheduled for April 19.

"Mayank is unlikely to play the next two games as he continues his recovery. We're hoping he regains full fitness before our home game against Chennai Super Kings on April 19," Langer had said ahead of the match against DC.

LSG slip to 4th

With the loss to the Capitals, LSG have dropped to fourth spot in the points table as their net run rate took a hit; with 0.436, LSG went behind CSK (0.666). Four teams -- KKR, CSK, LSG, and SRH -- are currently level at points with KKR being second, thanks to a huge +1.528 net run rate.

Delhi Capitals, meanwhile, are now ninth on the table with two wins and four losses so far.

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