Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel (Pic credit: IPL) NEW DELHI: Rishabh Pant faces a decisive season of IPL 2026 as he leads Lucknow Super Giants into their opener against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday. After a mixed first year as captain, Pant now has a fully fit squad, with key additions like Mohammed Shami and Anrich Nortje adding pace to the attack. The return of Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan further strengthens their bowling.The LSG batsman looks settled, with Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram at the top, while Pant should bat higher alongside Nicholas Pooran.Delhi, meanwhile, are looking for stability after last season’s inconsistency. KL Rahul is set to open, with options like Prithvi Shaw in contention. Their bowling remains a strong point led by spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, with Lungi Ngidi and T Natarajan adding depth.
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LSG vs DC Head-to-Head
- Total number of matches played: 7
- Lucknow Super Giants: 3rd
- Capital Delhi: 4
LSG vs DC: Pitch Report
Pitch #4 is likely to be operational for today’s match at the Ekana Stadium. The average first innings score here last season was 187, down slightly from 203 in 2024. The weather in Lucknow is expected to be clear with temperatures around 28C in the evening and no rain forecast.
LSG vs DC: Predicted XI
Lucknow Super Giants Predicted XI: Mitchell Marsh*, Aiden Markram*, Nicholas Pooran*, Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Mayank Yadav, Digvesh Rathi.Impact Sub: Anrich Nortje*Delhi Capitals Predicted XI: KL Rahul (week), Pathum Nissanka*, Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs*, Axar Patel (captain), David Miller*, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Auqib Nabi, Dushmantha Chameera*, Kuldeep YadavImpact Sub: T Natarajan
LSG vs DC: Lucknow Weather Update
During the day, it is expected to be cloudy and sunny, with temperatures peaking at around 36°C. It will remain partly cloudy at night, with temperatures dropping to 23°C.It is supposed to be a hot evening at the time of the match and no rain is expected. The temperature is likely to be around 33C during the toss and could drop to around 28C by 11pm.
LSG vs DC: Live Stream Details
The LSG vs DC match will be held at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, the match is scheduled to start at 19:30 IST. The game will be telecast on Star Sports Network while live streaming will be available on JioHotstar.
Teams LSG vs DC
Lucknow Super Giants: Rishabh Pant, Ayush Badoni, Matthew Breetzke, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Arshin Kulkarni, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Maharaj Singh, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Arjun Hasankang Prabhuan, Yamaha Andu Nortje, Josh Inglis, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, Naman Tiwari, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Mohsin Khan, Manimaran Siddharth, Mukul Choudhary.
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Who will be the key player for Delhi Capitals this season?
Major Cities of Delhi: Abishek Porel, KL Rahul, Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Ashutosh Sharma, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Tripurana Vijay, David Miller, Auqibth Nabiung, L. Patgile Jamieson, Ajay Jadav Mandal, T Natarajan, Madhav Tiwari, Karun Nair, Sahil Parakh.
