The spotlight will be on Lucknow Super Giants on Wednesday, when they take on Chennai Super Kings in Lucknow. But that’s not for the ugly spat that their mentor, Gautam Gambhir, had with Virat Kohli on Monday, it is for their captain, KL Rahul, who has a hip flexor injury and is unlikely to play.

The nature of Rahul’s injury is such that he might be ruled out entirely for the remainder of the IPL. There was no official confirmation from Lucknow though till late on Tuesday.

Though Lucknow’s performances have been a bit up and down this season, they are still among the top four teams in the standings. But if Rahul misses action, their plans might take a big hit. Not because Rahul was scoring tons of runs, but because it might disturb the balance of their XI.

If Rahul doesn’t play, Lucknow can try Quinton de Kock at the top of the order, but for that, they will have to bench one of their regular overseas players. They can’t drop Marcus Stoinis, Kyle Mayers or Nicholas Pooran, so Naveen-ul-Haq, who too was involved in Monday’s post-match fracas, might have to sit out.

Chennai, on the other hand, are under a bit of pressure after back-to-back losses and will be desperate to win on Wednesday. The pitch will play a big role. Will it be a turner? Or a red-soil wicket that offers more bounce?

Today’s match

■ Lucknow Super Giants vs Chennai Super Kings, 3.30pm, Lucknow, live on Star Sports & Jio Cinema