LSG vs RR Live Score, IPL 2026: Lucknow opt to bowl against Rajasthan, Mayank Yadav returns

Rajasthan Royals have named an unchanged Playing XI. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi, Brijesh Sharma, Nandre Burger

Mayank Yadav is back for the first time this season. He replaces struggling Avesh Khan, while Digvesh Rathi also returns for Lucknow. 

Mitchell Marsh, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Mukul Choudhary, Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Mayank Yadav

 

Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant has won the toss and opted to bowl first. Chasing teams have won 12 out of the last 15 matches. So, there is that reason.

With scores of 8, 1, 13, 19, 1 & 9, Nicholas Pooran has struggled to get going for Lucknow this season. And that is a major concern. He has averaged just 8.50 and has a strike rate of 79.68 after 6 innings. With him out of form, a lot of pressure has been on the other batters. For LSG to find success, Pooran is a crucial piece of the puzzle.

So far, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has not shown respect to any premium bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood, Sunil Narine and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. All these bowlers have been hit for a six at least. Now, the 15-year-old faces Mohammed Shami, a master of seam at the Ekana Stadium, which will have plenty of help for pacers. Will he able to crack Shami code?

Let's take a look at the IPL 2026 Points Table before the match. Rajasthan Royals have lost the momentum to slip to 4th spot with two consecutive defeats. Lucknow Super Giants have lost three matches in a row to slip to 9th spot. 

Lucknow have their own problems. They sit ninth with two wins from six and are the only team in IPL 2026 yet to post a 200-plus total. The last outing was a 54-run hammering by Punjab Kings, with PBKS plundering 254 in 20 overs. Rishabh Pant and Mitchell Marsh have produced individual innings, but no one at LSG has converted that into a complete team performance.

To make matters worse, LSG have seemed puzzled with their batting order. Aiden Markram was dropped to No. 5 against PBKS with Ayush Badoni opening. Not so long ago, Rishabh Pant opened the innings. Their bowling have been bruised with PBKS batters going after the big names. Prince Yadav remains the only positive for them.

If you'd told anyone a week ago that the Rajasthan Royals would walk into Lucknow as the more worried side, they'd have laughed. But here we are. After galloping to four wins, RR have lost back-to-back games to struggling teams. For a franchise with a recent history of mid-season collapses, the alarm bells are not subtle. Skipper Riyan Parag's own form and the middle order around him are the key concerns.

That said, Rajasthan remain genuinely dangerous on paper. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been the tournament's most explosive young batter. His opening partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal, continues to score runs with remarkable consistency, which should trouble an LSG bowling unit that has been leaking runs all season.

But the kind of bowling attack Rajasthan have, they will have a chance. Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger have troubled batters, while Ravi Bishnoi and Ravindra Jadeja have been among the wickets. Bishnoi will have a fair idea of the conditions as he will return to Lucknow, where he spent four seasons. 

This is where the LSG vs RR match gets genuinely interesting, because Ekana has been the outlier venue of IPL 2026. While most grounds this season have served up 190-plus first-innings averages, Lucknow hasn't played to that template. The Ekana pitch has remained bowling-friendly with an average first-innings score of 153. Chasing sides have historically held the edge. Totals above 200 are relatively uncommon, making shot selection and middle-over control far more important here than anywhere else.

The one IPL 2026 game played at this ground so far told its own story. Batting first, LSG managed only 141 against Delhi Capitals, and DC knocked it off with 17 balls to spare. That was a red-soil pitch too. The black-soil surfaces Ekana sometimes rolls out are typically even slower and kinder to spinners.

Rajasthan Royals have had the upper hand in the LSG vs RR rivalry since it began in 2022. Across six IPL meetings, RR lead 4-2, with a highest score of 199 and LSG's best effort being 196.

LSG have struggled to defend totals against Rajasthan at home. Sanju Samson's unbeaten 82 at Jaipur in IPL 2024 is the highest individual score in the rivalry, a reminder that the Royals have repeatedly found ways to take the game away from LSG irrespective of venue.

• Matches Played: 6
• Rajasthan Royals won: 4
• Lucknow Super Giants won: 2
• No Result: 0