Lucknow Super Giants have received an early boost ahead of their IPL 2026 match against Rajasthan Royals, with quick Mayank Yadav returning to the playing XI after a 353-day injury layoff. Captain Rishabh Pant won the toss and opted to bowl at the Ekana Cricket Stadium as LSG looked to halt their slide after back-to-back defeats.
LSG vs RR: Update | Scorecard
Led by Riyan Parag, Rajasthan Royals named an unchanged side and stuck with their combination despite the uneven run. Lucknow, on the other hand, made two adjustments, bringing in Digvesh Singh Rathi in place of M Siddharth, while Mayank Yadav replaced Avesh Khan to make his first appearance of the season.
The return of Mayank, one of India’s fastest bowlers in recent years, comes after a long battle with injuries. The right-arm pacer has been ruled out primarily due to a severe stress fracture in his lower back, which has ruled him out of most of IPL 2025 and the initial phase of the ongoing season.
Mayank last featured for LSG in May 2025 against Punjab Kings where he endured a tough outing, taking no wickets while conceding 60 runs in his four overs. He played just two matches last season, picking up two wickets against Mumbai Indians before being dropped again.
Despite his limited appearances, Mayank grabbed headlines during IPL 2024 with his pace, including a speed of 156.7 kmph, one of the fastest ever recorded in the tournament’s history. However, pushing his body to its limits also contributed to recurring fitness concerns, delaying his return to consistent action.
On the eve of the match, Aiden Markram offered positive information on the young pacer’s fitness and readiness. “The last I heard is that he is fit and firing. A fit and firing Mayank Yadav adds a lot of headaches to any team he is in, he is an X-factor player,” Markram told reporters ahead of the clash.
Responding to LSG’s recent woes, Pant emphasized the need to strike the right balance while maintaining continuity in the selection.
“We’re still figuring out what’s best with our team (combination). The last few games have been tough. You need to figure out a way to play here at home. It’s mostly subtle changes, you want to keep the consistency,” Pant said at the toss.
The LSG captain also reiterated his faith in Nicholas Pooran, who has endured a rough patch this season. Pooran managed just 51 runs in six innings and currently has the lowest strike rate among batsmen who have faced at least 50 balls this season.
“A player who has shown so much potential, you want to believe him no matter what,” Pant said of Pooran.
RR captain Parag admitted that he didn’t mind batting first even though the toss decision was not entirely easy.
“We batted well, against KKR we made some miscalculations in the middle overs. The message is we need to play 40 overs of good cricket. Hopefully we can do that,” said Parag.
With Mayank Yadav back in the XI, LSG will be hoping that the express pacer can provide the X-factor they have been missing in recent games and help them regain momentum in the tournament.
Playing XI:
Rajasthan Royals (Bat First): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (capt), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi, Brijesh Sharma, Nandre Burger
Lucknow Super Giants (Bowl One): Mitchell Marsh, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Mukul Choudhary, Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Mayank Yadav.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
22 Apr 2026 19:20 IST
