It is not often that bowlers, considered collateral damage in modern T20 cricket, supersede the batters in the battle of narratives.

When Lucknow Super Giants hosts Rajasthan Royals at the Ekana Cricket Ground here on Wednesday, the pace batteries of the two teams will be in the spotlight. The conditions here lean heavily in favour of the quicks, who boast an economy rate of 7.35 and an average of 19 at the venue in this IPL season.

The Super Giants attack, comprising Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav and Mohsin Khan, has been the most economical (7.94) in the PowerPlay, while the Royals, spearheaded by Jofra Archer, have been the most incisive (16 wickets) during this phase.

The similarities don’t end there. The Super Giants are on a three-match losing streak, while the Royals are coming off two consecutive defeats after a strong start to their campaign.

“It’s a case of struggling for a bit of rhythm. One or two guys can struggle; it is part of the game, but when it is the full batting line-up, the chances of that happening are quite slim,” LSG’s Aiden Markram admitted ahead of the match.

The collective failure of the Super Giants batters has resulted in none of them tallying 200 runs in the season. Against Punjab Kings, the team notched up its first score of 200 but only after conceding this season’s highest total of 254 for seven.

It was a contrasting loss for the Royals in their last game, where they pushed Kolkata Knight Riders close despite managing a middling 155 for nine after opting to bat.

A lot of eager eyes will follow the intriguing match-up of 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi against the ageing but resilient Shami. At the same time, misfiring skippers Rishabh Pant and Riyan Parag will seek a turnaround of form.