Lucknow Super Giants are set to host their biggest game of the season as they face Royal Challengers Bengaluru today. LSG are placed at the bottom of the points table and will end their playoff hopes if they lose at Ekana Cricket Stadium again.
RCB are looking to return to winning ways and are eyeing the top spot in the IPL 2026 points table today. With a superior net run rate, the defending champions will look to cement their position in the top two this season.
Also read: LSG vs RCB Match Prediction
IPL 2026 Match 50: LSG vs RCB Live Score and Match Updates
Arshin Kulkarni to open an innings
LSG openers Arshin Kulkarni and Mitchell Marsh are out in the middle to open an innings.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar to bowl the first over today.
The game is on at Ekana Cricket Stadium...
Bhuvneshwar Kumar creates history today
Bhuvneshwar Kumar becomes the first fast bowler and the 12th overall cricketer to play 200 IPL matches today.
"It is indeed special—any milestone is, really—and playing 200 matches is, in itself, a massive achievement. So, naturally, I am feeling very happy. Furthermore, I think the best part is that I am achieving this with a team that won the trophy last year and is playing exceptionally well this season; that makes it even better."
RCB Playing XI
Just one change for RCB today. Rasikh Dar comes in, Tim David starts from the bench.
RCB XI (bowling 1st): Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar, Josh Hazlewood
Impact players: Tim David, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Otswal, Venkatesh Iyer
LSG Playing XI
Mohsin Khan and Josh Inglis miss out due to injuries and are replaced by Digvesh Rathi and Arshin Kulkarni. Shahbaz Ahmed also comes in for M Siddharth. Ayush Badoni and Mukul Choudhary miss out again.
LSG XI (batting 1st): Mitchell Marsh, Arshin Kulkarni, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Akshat Raghuwanshi, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav
Impact players: Mayank Yadav, Mukul Chowdhary, Abdul Samad, M Siddharth, Avesh Khan
Toss Time
Captains Rishabh Pant and Rajat Patidar are out in the middle for the toss at Ekana Cricket Stadium.
Patidar wins the toss and Royal Challengers Bengaluru decide to bowl first
RCB are unchanged. Mohsin Khan, Josh Inglis miss out from LSG's playing XI today due to injuries.
Head-to-Head Record
RCB dominate this contest with 5 wins in 7 meetings against LSG. In their most recent meeting this season, RCB restricted LSG to 146 total at Chinnaswamy and registered a dominant five-wicket win.
- Matches played: 7
- RCB won: 5
- LSG won: 2
- NR: 0
Lucknow eye survival win
With six successive defeats, the Lucknow Super Giants are placed at the bottom of the points table. Rishabh Pant's team can still reach 14 points if they win their remaining four games, but they also need favourable results from other teams.
In their last game, LSG failed to defend 228 runs against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium. Nicholas Pooran, back at No. 3, smashed his first fifty of the season, but another shuffle in the batting order didn't work for LSG. Captain Rishabh Pant will be under focus again, having failed to make an impact with the bat and his leadership.
RCB look to go top
Royal Challengers Bengaluru return after getting bowled out on 155 against Gujarat in their last match. RCB are still in a good position to finish in the top two this season, having won six of their nine games. A win today will take them to the top in the points table and boost their chances for the Qualifier 1.
However, they failed to score 180-plus while batting first in their last two matches after a dominant start with the bat this season. Phil Salt is unlikely to play again, but the likes of Rajat Patidar and Jitesh Sharma are struggling for consistency this season.
With the ball, RCB are brilliant with Bhuvneshwar Kumar leading the Purple Cap race. Josh Hazlewood is also equally important, but the rest need to step up ahead of the crucial matches.
Lucknow host crucial game
Hello everyone, welcome to Sports Yaari's live coverage of today's IPL game in Lucknow.
Lucknow Super Giants are hosting Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 50th match of the IPL 2026 at Ekana Cricket Stadium today. The game offers one team a chance to go top in the points table and another team one last hope to playoff qualification.
So, stay tuned for live scores and match updates here...