LSG vs RR Live IPL 2026: Lucknow Super Giants choose to bowl first, Mayank Yadav named in XI

FOUR! Yashasvi Jaiswal gets off the mark with a fine shot down the leg side. Mohammed Shami drifts it onto the pads, and Jaiswal helps it away to the fine leg fence with ease despite a diving effort from the fielder.

RR: 6/0 in (0.4) overs
Yashasvi Jaiswal: 4 (4)
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: 0 (0)

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal are out in the middle to open the batting for Rajasthan Royals. Mohammed Shami will take the new ball for Lucknow Super Giants as the action gets underway.

The Ekana Stadium surface is expected to be a challenging one for batters, with scoring generally on the lower side this season. The pitch is made of red soil and is likely to assist spinners as the game progresses, especially under lights. With heat during the day, the surface could slow down later and offer some turn.

Chasing has been the preferred option here, with most matches won by teams batting second. However, teams batting first can still succeed if they manage to post a total above 200. Overall, it looks like a pitch where bowlers, particularly spinners, could have a significant impact.

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

Impact Subs: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Yash Raj Punja, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande

Lucknow Super Giants: 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

Impact subs: Himmat Singh, George Linde, Manimaran Siddharth, Matthew Breetzke, Abdul Samad

Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant has won the toss and elected to bowl first. Speedster Mayank Yadav has been named in the LSG playing XI.

LSG: Rishabh Pant (c), Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Mukul Choudhary, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshin Kulkarni, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ayush Badoni, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, M Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar, Anrich Nortje, Naman Tiwari, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan.

RR: Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Aman Perala, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Adam Milne, Brijesh Sharma, Jofra Archer, Kuldeep Sen, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger, Ravi Bishnoi, Sandeep Sharma.

Nicholas Pooran (LSG): Nicholas Pooran has struggled for badly this season, managing just 51 runs in 6 matches with a highest score of 19. His strike rate of 79.68 highlights his inability to accelerate or finish innings effectively. For Lucknow Super Giants, this has become a major concern as the middle order has failed to provide the late momentum needed in close contests.

Riyan Parag (RR): Riyan Parag’s season has also been terrible, scoring only 61 runs in 6 innings with a top score of 20. Although his strike rate of 122.00. He has not been able to convert starts into meaningful contributions. As captain, RR will be hoping he can step up soon, especially with the team relying heavily on their senior batters for stability.

Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals have faced each other 6 times in the IPL so far, with RR holding a slight advantage in the rivalry.

• Total Matches: 6
• Rajasthan Royals won: 4
• Lucknow Super Giants won: 2

• Match: Lucknow Super Giants vs Rajasthan Royals, Match 32, IPL 2026
• Venue: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
• Date: April 22, 2026
• Start Time: 7:30 PM IST
• Toss Time: 7:00 PM IST