RR vs LSG, IPL 2026: Sooryavanshi storm helps Rajasthan stay alive in playoff race

Rajasthan Royals move up to 4th spot. But they still need to win their last match to seal the deal. If RR lose and PBKS win, they will be knocked out. 

Team	P	W	L	NR	PTS	NRR
RCB (Q)	13	9	4	0	18	1.065
GT (Q)	13	8	5	0	16	0.400
SRH (Q)	13	8	5	0	16	0.350
RR	13	7	6	0	14	0.083
PBKS	13	6	6	1	13	0.227
CSK	13	6	7	0	12	-0.016
DC	13	6	7	0	12	-0.871
KKR	12	5	6	1	11	-0.038
MI (E)	12	4	8	0	8	-0.504
LSG (E)	13	4	9	0	8	-0.702

 

Rajasthan Royals win. They have stretched their chase to the last over, but a win at last after three consecutive defeats. RR beat LSG by 7 wickets to stay alive in the playoff race and move up to 4th spot. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's storm settled the debate with 93 off 38 balls. Dhruv Jurel finished the chase of 221.

Dhurv Jurel gets to his fifth half-century of the season with a six against Prince Yadav. Rajasthan need 4 runs to win.

Ravichandran Ashwin is impressed by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and he cannot hide it. 

Area 51 has a lot of mystery associated to extra terrestrial existence.

Let’s put an end to that debate, there is one super natural person living amongst us earthlings & he opens the batting for Rajasthan Royals and is on duty now at Jaipur.

It’s also on Live…

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) May 19, 2026

Rajasthan Royals lose Lhuan-dre Pretorius. There was no run in it but he responded to Dhurv Jurel. And Ayush Badoni hit it directly and Pretorius was about 3 yards short of the crease. He was sluggish and did not even attempt to dive to save the wicket. 

The scoring rate has dipped after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was dismissed. With Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Dhruv Jurel on the crease, RR need 25 off the last 24 balls. They have to finish it quickly for a better net run rate. 

Rajasthan Royals lose Vaibhav Sooryavanshi just after getting a lifeline. He tries to take on Mohsin Khan on a slower delivery outside off and fails to time it right. Abdul Samad makes no mistake in taking the catch at long-on. Vaibhav departs for 93 off 38.

Mohsin Khan would watch the replay and laugh. He has missed the stumps from two yards to give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a lifeline. A miscommunication with Dhurv Jurel, and Vaibhav was left stranded at the halfway mark. But as Digvesh Rathi collects the ball and throws it to Mohsin, he decides to throw the ball to the stumps and misses.

And in no time, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel have brought up a 100-run stand, off just 39 balls. Vaibhav is on 92 off 36 balls, while Jurel is 32 off 19.

After 23-ball 50, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has hit the next 8 deliveries for 32 runs. He is eying his third IPL century and second of this IPL 2026.

Double trouble for Lucknow now as Dhruv Jurel joins the six-hitting party. He takes on Mayank Yadav for two sixes and a four. Last five balls have gone for 28 runs.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi brings up 50-run stand with Dhruv Jurel and he has scored the most of the runs. After Akash Singh, he takes on Prince Yadav for 16 runs and Rajasthan Royals are cruising at the moment.

Sooryavanshi slams another 50 here. Not the fastest by his own standards, but has still gotten there in 23 deliveries. This looks easy for Rajasthan at the moment. Punjab would be watching closely. A six to end the over. He is also the youngest player to score 500 runs in the IPL and score most sixes in a season for Rajasthan Royals. 

Despite the departure of Jaiswal, the run rate has still not come down. He has been greeted by a six and a four. And now again a fourth; he is erring in line. Another short one and a six again. And a four to end the over.

The left arm pacer comes back into the attack here. But the result is the same. Jaiswal gets a bounary towards points. And looks like Mukul Choudhary has dropped a catch. Oh and here comes the wicket. Jaiswal slashes hard only to edge it. Caught behind.

For the first time, after getting selected into Team India, Prince Yadav comes into the attack. He has been greeted for a six over the keeper's head by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Follows it with a four at long off. Powerplay comes to an end.

Mayank is showing good speeds, getting over 150 kmph twice. But then Sooryavanshi rocks back and hits one over the covers for a massive six.

Jaiswal has decided that RR will not only win, but also go for the kill, in order to hand NRR advantage to his side. A very expensive over from Mohsin comes to an end.

Now Pant introduces Mayank Yadav into the attack. He comes up with a pacy first over and only six runs come from it. Sooryavanshi gets a good four.

The difference is clearly visible here. Mohsin comes into the attack and the bounce is getting difficult to tackle here. Looks like Yashasvi has been hit in the ribs. Needs some attention. A good over comes to an end.

Akash Singh is off target totally and gives away three boundaries here. Yashasvi Jaiswal has kicked off the proceedings in stylish fashion. 23 from the over here.

Mohsin Khan is returning to the team after a gap of a few matches. He would be mulling the lost chances. Where Prince Yadav performed and got the nod before him. Beware Rajasthan.

Mitchell Marsh desperately attempts a second run as he wants to reach his century but a good throw from Yashasvi Jaiswal results in the former being run-out. Marsh walks back after scoring 96 runs. Ayush Badoni is castled in the final delivery of the over and LSG finish at 220/5 at the end of 20 overs. Only 5 runs conceded in the last over. RR need 221 runs to win.

Rajasthan Royals have been penalized for maintaining a slow-over rate, which means they will have one less fielder outside the 30-yard circle. Rishabh Pant gets run-out off the first delivery of the final over.

After managing to score a boundary with a falling scoop off the 2nd delivery from Jofra Archer's over, the RR bowler has managed to keep thing quiet. 200 runs come off for RR a few deliveries later. Archer concedes 10 runs from the over.

After conceding just 4 runs from the first three balls, Brijesh Sharma goes on to concede 14 more runs in the remaining balls, which includes extras and a no-ball as well. LSG are past the 180-run mark and are well on course to set a 220+ run target for RR. Riyan Parag, who isn't a part of RR's playing XI, has a serious chat with Sushant Mishra between the overs during the strategic timeout.

A good over from Brijesh Sharma as he concedes just 4 runs in his 3rd over. RR have managed to put the brakes on LSG but they need more of such quality overs. Rishabh Pant is trying to find the right footing while Mitchell Marsh has slowed down in the last few overs.

Finally, Rajasthan Royals get their second wicket as Nicholas Pooran gets caught out by Donovan Ferreira off Punja. RR get the much-needed breakthrough. The Caribbean star departs after scoring 16 off 11. And, this is the first over in this innings where no boundary has been scored and only a single-digit score has been conceded.

Mitchell Marsh scores yet another half-century in the IPL and this comes off just 25 deliveries in the game against RR. This is his fourth 50+ score in the last 5 innings. The Royals have managed to get just one wicket so far in the innings and are struggling against LSG.

4️⃣th fifty-plus score in his last 5️⃣ innings 💥

Mitchell Marsh in 𝘂𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲 😎

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/LvQzM3tl06 #TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #RRvLSG | @LucknowIPL pic.twitter.com/9X22hmN3VU

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 19, 2026

Nicholas Pooran is 13 off 8 balls as Lucknow Super Giants race to 127/1 at the end of 10 overs. Another rather expensive over from Sushant Mishra.

Yash Raj Punja gets the first breakthrough for Lucknow Super Giants as he castles Josh Inglis for 60 off 29 balls. Finally, LSG get the much-needed wicket and the opening partnership has been broken.

With a six off the final delivery of the 9th over, Mitchell Marsh nears his half-century and Lucknow Super Giants have gone past the 100-run mark in no time. Royals are yet to get the first wicket.

Josh Inglis scores his second half-century of IPL 2026, and it comes off 23 balls. He has been a great addition to the LSG side. The Australian has scored 6 fours and 3 sixes so far. To be noted, it is the fourth game in IPL 2026 where RR have failed to take a wicket in the powerplay.

How's the 𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙝 😉

A cracking FIFTY to set the tone 🎶

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/LvQzM3tl06 #TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #RRvLSG | @LucknowIPL pic.twitter.com/2L5BEF94m8

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 19, 2026

Mitchell Marsh (31 off 14) and Josh Inglis (49 off 22) have powered LSG to 83/0 at the end of the powerplay. RR are yet to get their first breakthrough in the must-win game and have bowled just 11 dot balls so far.

• 3.3 overs vs RR, Jaipur, 2026*
• 3.4 overs vs CSK, Chepauk, 2023
• 3.4 overs vs CSK, Chepauk, 2026
• 3.5 overs vs MI, Wankhede, 2026
• 4.0 overs vs GT, Ahmedabad, 2023

Rajasthan Royals are yet to get a breakthrough as Jofra Archer concedes 13 runs from his second over. LSG have managed to go past the 50-run mark in the very next over, as Marsh and Inglis slam a boundary each.

Debutant Sushant Mishra concedes 13 runs from his first over as LSG race to 25/0 at the end of 2 overs.

Sushant Mishra drops a catch in the very first over as he fails to get his hands on a shot off Josh Inglis. This could prove to be costly for RR.

Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis are out in the middle to commence the proceedings for Lucknow Super Giants. Jofra Archer starts with the new ball for the Rajasthan Royals. The LSG openers will be eyeing a strong start, and dominate the powerplay.

Yashasvi Jaiswal has mentioned that Riyan Parag will miss the RR vs LSG match because of a hamstring issue. However, the latter has been named as a part of the impact players' list. This, despite RR putting out an official communication. Wierd! 

A hamstring strain rules Riyan Parag out of tonight’s fixture, with Yashasvi Jaiswal stepping up to lead the Royals in our final home game of the season.

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) May 19, 2026

Rajasthan Royals: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yudhvir Singh, Aman Rao Perala, Ravi Bishnoi, Riyan Parag
Lucknow Super Giants:Mukul Choudhary, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Himmat Singh, Arshin Kulkarni

Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Akash Maharaj Singh, Prince Yadav

Yashasvi Jaiswal(c), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dhruv Jurel(w), Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Sushant Mishra, Sandeep Sharma, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja

RR captain Yashasvi Jaiswal justified his decision to bowl first, noting that there could be some dew later on during the game. He announces three changes for the side, including skipper Riyan Parag missing out. "We will bowl first. It looks like a good wicket and there could some dew later on, that's what we'll see. It means a lot to me, I'm proud to lead the Rajasthan Royals. He has a hamstring injury, hopefully he'll be fine. Three changes for us. We're all speaking to everyone, the mindset and the attitude is important and that's what we want to bring to this game," Jaiswal said.
"Pretty confident, we know this is a good wicket to bat on. Happy to either bat or bowl first. We've a lot to play for, we take great pride in playing for the owners and the fans," LSG captain Rishabh Pant said. 

Rajasthan Royals captain Yashasvi Jaiswal wins the toss and opts to bowl first. They make three changes to their playing XI. Riyan Parag is out with a hamstring injury. LSG make two changes - Aiden Markram and Mohammed Shami are out of the playing XI. Ayush Badoni comes in for Markram and Moshin Khan for Shami.

🚨 Toss 🚨@rajasthanroyals have won the toss and elected to bowl first against @LucknowIPL

Yashasvi Jaiswal is leading #RR in the absence of injured Riyan Parag.#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #RRvLSG pic.twitter.com/kDsCjdWhIO

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 19, 2026

Very shortly, Riyan Parag and Rishabh Pant are about to walk out to the middle for the toss. Oh no, it looks like Yashasvi Jaiswal is set to lead RR once again. What will the captain who wins the toss decide and what changes will the two captains announce? Let's find out.

Another key match-up in the RR vs LSG match is between Riyan Parag and Mohammed Shami. The numbers clearly favour the pacer, with Shami dismissing Parag three times in just 23 balls while conceding only 25 runs. Shami’s precision and ability to hit hard lengths have troubled Parag consistently, making this a high-impact duel that could shift momentum quickly.

One of the key battles to watch out for is the one between Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant. Across 11 innings, Pant has taken Jadeja on with intent, scoring 84 runs from 57 balls at a strike rate above 147, though Jadeja has managed to dismiss him twice. It is a contest of aggression versus control, and whichever way it swings could shape the middle overs significantly.

This is a classic battle of desperation versus freedom. RR have the stronger motivation as their tournament lives are on the line, and they boast a superior head-to-head record against LSG. However, they are plagued by a three-match losing skid and a distinct lack of execution in the powerplay overs. On the other hand, LSG are riding high on Mitchell Marsh’s blistering form and recently took down CSK, proving they love playing the spoiler role. Check out today's match prediction here. 

One plays for Survival 🩷
The other plays for Pride 💙❤️

Will #LSG spoil #RR's party in Jaipur? 🏟️#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #RRvLSG | @rajasthanroyals | @LucknowIPL pic.twitter.com/QKR3cned5c

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 19, 2026

Lucknow Super Giants arrive in Jaipur with a win over CSK that had no playoff meaning for them but plenty of significance for the teams around them. Mitchel Marsh has 467 runs in 12 innings and has been their most consistent batter all season. The overseas balance is thin with Markram back home and Breetzke also gone, potentially leaving them with just three overseas options. 

Rishabh Pant's season numbers are modest: 251 runs from 11 innings, one fifty, a strike rate of 138.67. He was padded up in the last game but never came out, reportedly over a disagreement with the management. For LSG, it is about preparing for the future, give chances to the youngsters.

RR's problems aren't coming from one direction. Three straight losses, the latest a five-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals on Sunday. Back-to-back games in brutal conditions with temperatures touching 43 degrees Celsius and excessive heat warnings across Jaipur. Ravindra Jadeja missed the previous game with a niggle and is uncertain for Tuesday. Yashasvi Jaiswal has one score of substance in five innings. The whole powerplay burden has effectively fallen on one teenager. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi leads the charts with 484 runs in 12 games at a strike rate of 234.78, with a century and two fifties to his name. When he goes cheaply, the innings tends to unravel quickly after.

The bowling hasn't held up either. Jofra Archer is the only bowler RR can trust in big moments, and the middle order has produced dramatic collapses across recent matches. RR have the best powerplay run rate in the tournament at 11.8. They're also the second-slowest side in the death overs at 10.2. They're a team that scores early and struggles to finish. To make things worse, RR have been sloppy on the field.

Tuesday's game is on pitch number five. The last time it was used, RR vs SRH produced 228 vs 229, with Sooryavanshi's 37-ball century not enough as RR lost with nine balls to spare. Dew played a significant role in the second innings.

The surface tends to assist batters early before spinners find grip as the game goes on. Large square boundaries make chasing slightly harder than the total suggests, but every IPL 2026 game at this ground has been won by the chasing side. The dew factor under lights consistently tilts the second innings in the batting team's favour.

43 degrees Celsius with excessive heat warnings on Tuesday. That drains fielding sides. Pace bowlers working through long spells feel it. The team that manages conditions better through a 40-over evening tends to win in these situations.

RR lead the overall head-to-head comfortably. But Jaipur is a different matter. Five wins from seven overall meetings, but the home record against this specific opponent cuts the other way. LSG have won two of their three games against RR in Jaipur. The venue that should be a fortress has been anything but against this opponent. RR beat LSG by 40 runs in the reverse fixture. LSG will want to flip the result here, and with the pressure entirely off them, they're in a better frame of mind to try.