LSG vs DC Live Score, IPL 2026: Who should open the batting with KL Rahul?

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As for Delhi Capitals, they have made a few changes to bring in in-form overseas batters. They also have Prithvi Shaw back. Whether he gets the nod ahead of Abhishek Porel will be a question, but with KL Rahul at the top, their opening is sorted. 

The likes of Pathum Nissanka, Tristan Stubbs, and David Miller further bolster the batting. Captain Axar Patel can also play a crucial role with the bat. However, the absence of Mitchell Starc in the first few games could be a blow. DC will have to rely on Lungi Ngidi, who had an excellent T20 World Cup. The addition of Auqib Nabi and Kyle Jamieson further strengthens the pace attack. Kuldeep Yadav will lead the spin attack along with Axar Patel.

After a poor season with the bat, Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant will be under pressure to deliver this season. He is the highest-paid player and more than his captaincy, LSG need his bat to do the heavy-lifting. Pant scored a century to end IPL 2025, but except for that ton, his season was poor as he scored 151 runs in 12 innings at an average of 13.72 and a strike rate of 107.09. As a result, Lucknow finished 7th. 

This time, both Pant and LSG need to deliver. They have an excellent batting core with players like Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, and Nicholas Pooran, alongside reliable Indian contributors Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad. Lucknow also have their Indian pace attack available after injury setbacks. Mohd Shami has joined Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan and Mohsin Khan to further bolster that attack. In the spin department, absence of Wanindu Hasaranga will be a blow but Digvesh Rathi can be a great weapon. 

The Ekana pitch is typically a mixed red and black soil surface that offers early assistance to pacers with some bounce and movement, especially on fresh or red-soil strips. It tends to slow down as the game progresses, favouring spinners in the middle overs with grip and turn. Average first-innings scores in recent IPLs hover around 160-180, though higher totals (190+) are possible on better batting days. Boundaries are relatively large (square 64-66m, straight 68-78m), making big hitting challenging.

Toss winners often prefer to bowl first, especially with dew potentially aiding the chasing side in night games. Pacers with variations and spinners who can exploit the slower nature succeed here. Expect a balanced contest, not extremely high-scoring, where disciplined bowling and smart batting rotations matter.

The two teams have faced each other 7 times in IPL history. DC hold a slight edge overall and have won the last few encounters. At Ekana Stadium specifically, results are split (1-1). Matches have often been close, with high scores and dramatic finishes. KL Rahul has performed well against LSG in the past, while spinners like Kuldeep Yadav have troubled LSG batters.

• DC wins: 4

• LSG wins: 3