Lucknow Super Giants are at the risk of slipping down the order if they fail to force a turnaround soon. They will have that chance when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in an away game on Saturday.

But it’s easier said than done. In a fiercely competitive league like the IPL, the last laps are often slippery, where even a small mistake can squeeze a heavy price out of the best teams. And Lucknow, who are winless in their last three games, have certainly not played their best cricket.

That Lucknow still have a good chance of making the playoffs if they can produce positive results in their remaining games is only because of the good work that they had done in the first half of the league. The current scenario is quite messy. They have lost their captain, KL Rahul, and stand-in skipper Krunal Pandya have looked short of ideas.

But they have the personnel to win tough challenges. Foremost of them is Quinton de Kock. The injury to Rahul may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Lucknow. Rahul was hardly making an impact at the top, and Quinton, who replaced him as Kyle Mayer’s opening partner, showed his class in his first appearance of the season with a 41-ball 70 on Sunday.

If De Kock and Mayers can affect a flying start, Lucknow can hold sway over the Sunrisers because they have players like Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis to carry forward the baton. But for that, they can’t mess up their batting order like they did in their last game.

The Sunrisers, lying second from the bottom, have no room for error. They pulled off a thriller against Rajasthan Royals in their last game, but they will have to string many such victories together to dream of the playoffs.

Like Lucknow, they have also been guilty of inconsistency. Captain Aiden Markram himself hasn’t quite impressed and he will hope they can shake off their lapses to keep themselves relevant in the tournament. It is their batting which often lands Sunrisers in trouble. With the likes of Mayank Agarwal and Harry Brook failing to live up to expectations, Sunrisers need others to step up, like Glenn Phillips did in the last game.

Today’s match

■ Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Lucknow Super Giants, 3.30pm, Hyderabad, live on Star Sports & Jio Cinema

Do-or-die task

Shikhar Dhawan (centre) at the Kotla in New Delhi on Friday. PTI picture

Calcutta: Punjab Kings are on a tough mission as they try to keep themselves in contention for a playoffs berth. They need to win their remaining three games and must win them big, as their net run rate is poor (-0.441).

The first hurdle awaits them on Saturday when they face Delhi Capitals at the Kotla in New Delhi. David Warner's team has been one of the weaker units in this IPL and Punjab will definitely back themselves for full points.

That it is also the 'home' ground of their captain, Shikhar Dhawan, is an added advantage. Dhawan usually gets bagfuls of runs at the venue in IPL games and poses the biggest threat to Delhi.

Delhi's playoffs chances are remote. Mathematically they are not out of the race, but even if they win all their remaining matches, they will still need favourable results from other games to advance.

OUR BUREAU

Today’s match

■ Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings, 7.30pm, Delhi, live on Star Sports & Jio Cinema