The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have won the toss and opted to bowl first against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 59th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Both teams have made multiple changes.
Why did LSG choose to bowl first?
LSG captain Rishabh Pant feels the wicket will be lively in the first innings and doesn’t want the batters to fight through tough conditions. “We will bowl first. The wicket is looking a little bit tacky, so I don’t want us to go out there and bat first,” Pant said after winning the toss.
CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad agreed with Pant’s assessment. He reckons anywhere around 180 will be a good total to defend. “There is a bit of moisture to start, but if we start well and get to 170-180, then it would be a challenging total,” said Gaikwad.
IPL record at Ekana Cricket Stadium for toss winners
There’s a big advantage for teams winning the toss in Lucknow. Batting second has also been more fruitful at the venue.
| Total Matches | Matches Won after Winning Toss | Matches Lost after Winning Toss | Matches Won Batting First | Matches Won Batting Second |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 16 (59.26%) | 10 (37.04%) | 12 (44.44%) | 14 (51.85%) |
LSG vs CSK: Playing XIs & Impact Subs
Lucknow Super Giants: Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Mukul Choudhary, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Mayank Yadav, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav
- Impact Subs: Josh Inglis, M Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Himmat Singh, Ayush Badoni
Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary
- Impact Subs: Gurjapneet Singh, Akeal Hosein, Sarfaraz Khan, Matthew Short, Matt Henry
Ekana Cricket Stadium Pitch Report
The LSG vs CSK match is expected to be a low-scoring encounter. 166 is the average first-innings score at the Ekana Cricket Stadium after 5 matches. Usually, pitches slow down due to wear and tear in the second half of IPL. However, in the last game, 412 runs were scored in 38 overs. Depending on which pitch is used, we might either see a 150-170 game or a 200 vs 200 game. In any case, chasing is the way to go in Lucknow. The data proves this. The ball comes on better on the bat under lights, and pacing the innings becomes easier.
