LUCKNOW, May 7 -- Lucknow Super Giants will take on defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru here on Thursday with the hope of winning their maiden tie on the home turf as their campaign hangs by a thread. For LSG, this is less a must-win game and more a reality check on a season that has drifted badly off course. Sitting at the bottom of the points table and nearly out of playoff contention, they now face the challenge of salvaging pride, restoring some confidence and giving their home supporters something to cheer about. LSG's bowling coach Lance Klusener was clear that the team will play for pride. "There's a lot of individual pride and pride as a group so there's a lot of things to play for," said Klusener on Wednesday, adding, "Not just the fact that it's tough to qualify from now." "There's a lot of pride to play for. There's a lot of people, a lot of younger people that also may get opportunities going forward and the group has a responsibility to make sure they get the best platform to perform as well," he further said. He also said everybody in the side has got a certain responsibility. "I think we've all got a responsibility to our brand. We've got a responsibility to the people in our changing room. We've got a responsibility to our owner as well to make sure that even though the playoff chances might be slim, we've still got a lot of pride to play for." In reality, there are plenty of problems with LSG and their biggest one this season has been their inability to stitch together complete performances. They have had moments where the batting looked competitive or the bowling showed control, but rarely have they clicked together. That imbalance has cost them heavily. In a tournament as compact as the IPL, where momentum matters as much as talent, such inconsistency can quickly turn into a losing spiral. So far, this has been a roller coaster ride for the Rishabh Pant-led side. When their batters did well, bowlers failed and this remained the trend even when bowlers excelled, batters failed. In fact, their batting has been particularly underwhelming. The top order has failed to provide enough stability, leaving the middle order under pressure far too often. When early wickets have fallen, the innings has usually lost shape. Even in games where one or two batters have played useful knocks, the lack of support from the other end has prevented LSG from posting or chasing commanding totals. The result has been a side that often looks one collapse away from defeat. The best example of their inability to seize control was the match against Mumbai Indians last week when even after posting 200 plus runs, they lost by six wickets. The bowling unit has also struggled to hold the line. LSG have not managed to create enough pressure in the powerplay, and their death bowling has often leaked runs at crucial stages. That has made defending totals difficult and has also hurt them in chases. For LSG, this match is also about handling the mental burden of a poor season. Once a team slips near the bottom of the table, every mistake feels amplified. Fielding errors, dropped catches, a sluggish powerplay, or a couple of quiet overs can quickly snowball into another defeat. The challenge now is not just technical, but psychological. They need to play with freedom, even as the pressure of a disappointing campaign lingers. Playing in Lucknow should have been an advantage, but it has not quite worked out that way for LSG this season. The surface at home has not always produced the kind of control or tactical clarity the team may have hoped for, and opposition sides have often adapted better even when the hosts kept opting for different tracks from black to red soil and the mixed soil. If LSG are to challenge RCB on Thursday, they need a strong start with the bat, sharper execution with the ball and better fielding standards. More than anything, they need clarity in decision-making. Their season has been blighted by moments of hesitation, whether in shot selection, bowling changes or field placements. Against a polished side like RCB, those lapses can be fatal....