Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) suffered a comprehensive 19-run defeat at the hands of Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday (May 14).

Invited to bat first, the hosts racked up a mammoth 208/4 on the board. Tristan Stubbs (57* off 25) and Abishek Porel (58 off 33) starred with the bat for DC, slamming quickfire half—centuries. Shai Hope (38 off 27), Rishabh Pant (33 off 23) and Akshar Patel (14* off 10) also made notable contributions with the bat.

In reply, LSG got off to a disastrous start, losing four wickets inside powerplay as DC bowlers joined the party to eventually restrict the visitors to 189/9.

A whirlwind 27-ball 61 from Nicholas Pooran and a 33-ball 58 not out by Arshad Khan went in vain as the loss has now made Lucknow’s playoffs chances a distant dream.

After the game, LSG skipper KL Rahul conceded that chasing has been a problem for his side throughout the season and loss of four wickets inside powerplay hurt them badly against DC.

"I think 200 was a par score, and we should have chased it down. This has been the problem for us throughout the season - we lose wickets in the powerplay," Rahul said at the post-match presentation.

Rahul also praised the attacking intent of DC batters despite losing wickets at regular intervals.

"I feel like the wicket remained the same throughout the 40 overs. When we got Jake in the first over, we started out well. But even when the wickets are falling, they keep coming hard," he added.

Lucknow Super Giants are currently on 12 points and still have a league match remaining. On the other hand, Delhi Capitals are now done with their league fixtures, registering seven wins and as many defeats.

(With PTI Inputs)