Lucknow look to save face vs Chennai as Haryana & Delhi clash in derby

The penultimate day of the Lucknow leg will see Haryana Steelers do battle with Dabang Delhi K.C. and U.P. Yoddha taking on Tamil Thalaivas at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium on Wednesday. Both Haryana and Delhi will be looking to build on wins from their last outings, while Tamil Thalaivas and U.P. Yoddha head into their clash, low on confidence after several slender losses.

Match 42: (Zone A) Haryana Steelers vs Dabang Delhi K.C.

The Steelers will have fond memories of playing in the stadium after a win over Lucknow in their previous encounter. Captain Surender Nada and Mohit Chhillar will again have pivotal roles to play in defence for the Steelers but all eyes will be on youngster Vikas Kandola, who has been one of the revelations this season. Kandola along with Wazir Singh will need to do the bulk of the scoring in attack for Haryana if they’re to get another positive result.

Delhi, meanwhile, will still be buzzing after a thrilling last-gasp victory against Chennai in their last outing. Dabang must start with Abolfazl Maghsodlou after the Iranian top-scored for his side coming off the bench against the Thalaivas. Skipper Meraj Sheykh and Ravi Dalal will need to support him in attack, whereas Bajirao Hodage, Nilesh Shinde and Sunil will be expected to marshal the troops in defence.

Match 43: (Zone B) U.P. Yoddha vs Tamil Thalaivas

U.P. Yoddha’s search for their first win at home continues against Tamil Thalaivas in the second match of the evening. After four successive defeats in front of their home faithful, Lucknow go into the match with added pressure on the likes of captain Nitin Tomar, all-rounder Rajesh Narwal and star raider Rishank Devadiga. Lucknow’s leaky defence will also have to improve if they are to break their home leg duck.

Tamil Thalaivas, meanwhile, head into the match with the unwanted distinction of being the team that has won the fewest games at this stage of the season. Rooted at the bottom of Zone B, Chennai have won just one of their opening five matches making them desperate for a victory after multiple narrow defeats. The return to form of captain Ajay Thakur in their last match is welcome news for the southerners even though they’ll require the rest of the squad to pull their weight for a return to winning ways.

Catch all the action live on the Star Sports network and hotstar from 8 pm onwards.