Results in brief: Rajasthan Royals (159/6) beat Lucknow Super Giants (119-all out in 18 overs) by 40 runs at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
Their middle order credentials were challenged. Fire Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal early and you can take advantage of Rajasthan Royals’ soft underbelly – or so the theory went.
LSG vs RR: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
But on Wednesday, the former champions proved they are much more than a one-man show at the top, clinically outclassing Lucknow Super Giants by 40 runs. On a pitch that slowed considerably in the second innings, Rajasthan successfully defended 159 – the lowest total defended this season – to deepen Lucknow’s nightmares on home turf.
Ravindra Jadeja’s all-round masterclass (29-ball 43 followed by a crucial wicket) and a disciplined bowling effort led by the duo of Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger secured Rajasthan’s two-match losing streak. The win moves them back to second place in the IPL 2026 rankings.
Conversely, Lucknow Super Giants have now lost seven on the trot at home and seem utterly unable to find an exit from the Bhool Bhulaiya that Ekana Stadium has become.
Captain Rishabh Pant will have to face considerable scrutiny, especially after a dreadful shot ruled him out for a duck at a time when the home side desperately needed experienced heads to stay calm.
Mitchell Marsh fought a lone battle, hitting 55 off 41 balls, but found no support at the other end. Only Nicholas Pooran (22) and Himmat Singh (15) managed to cross the 10-run mark as LSG remained rooted in ninth place.
Rajasthan Royals made perfect use of the surface which changed in the second half. Captain Riyan Parag acknowledged this at the toss and noted that he was happy to let Pant make the call. While bowling first was a good tactical choice, it was another lackluster display from the LSG batsmen that proved their undoing.
Their bowling group, spearheaded by Mohammed Shami and Mohsin Khan, actually performed admirably and recovered well from their nightmare in Mullanpur on Sunday.
SPECIAL FROM JADEJ
Earlier in the day, it was Jadeja who rescued the Royals after the top order suffered its second collapse in three matches. The 37-year-old all-rounder, who returned to Rajasthan colors after a high-profile trade from Chennai Super Kings, used all his experience to stay out of trouble.
His bold attack helped the total which, while modest, offered his bowlers enough work on a pitch that flattered to deceive.
The biggest disappointment for the crowd of 40,000 was an anticlimax involving Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Hundreds of people traveled from across the region to witness the debut of the 15-year-old prodigy in Lucknow.
With his hometown just an overnight away, ‘Suryavanshi 003’ T-shirts ruled the stands but the teenager couldn’t attend the party. Overwhelmed by the early loss of partners, Suryavanshi’s cautious approach ultimately backfired.
Credit must go to Lucknow’s pacers led by the wily Mohammed Shami. Shami ran in with the same fire that defined his decorated career and won a thrilling cat-and-mouse battle against Yashasvi Jaiswal. After dropping three boundaries in the third over, Shami unleashed a nasty bouncer that sped up the opener, leading to his fall on 22.
Shami then welcomed Dhruv Jurel – who has a wealth of experience for these reasons – with a ripper down the hall that ripped away to claim a strong outside edge. Royals, shell-shocked, were forced into a defensive shell as the young Suryavanshi was joined by the out-of-form Riyan Parag.
Pant showed impressive tactical acumen as he removed the in-form Prince Yadav from the attack, despite the Najafgarh pacer testing Suryavanshi with crisp short deliveries. Instead, he turned to Mohsin Khan and relied on the height and angle of his left arm.
This move was inspired. Denying Suryavanshi any room, Mohsin hit a relentless ‘Test match length’ to produce the unthinkable: five consecutive wickets against the most feared young striker in the league. A frustrated Suryavanshi tried a desperate swing across the line on the last delivery, only to have it bowled to Digvesh Rathi, whose 20-metre sprint from cover completed the game-changing catch.
Rajasthan huffed and puffed to 44 for 3 before Parag and Shimron Hetmyer tried to steady the ship. Pant continued to rotate his pacers and trusted only one spin to Digvesh Rathi in the top ten. He had an enviable arsenal at his disposal – Shami, Prince and Mohsin in the powerplay, followed by the return of Mayank Yadav.
While it was encouraging to see Mayank hit north of 145 kmph in his first competitive match since February, he proved costly, conceding 54 runs in his four overs. Rajasthan needed every bit of Jadeja’s composure after being reduced to 77 for 5 in the 11th over.Mohsin Khan produced a master class in the pace variation and eventually fooled Hetmyer with a delivery nearly 20kph faster than the previous ball.
Donovan Ferreira provided a brief spark before falling for 20 in the 16th over, forcing Rajasthan to use Shubham Dubey as their Impact Player. Dubey’s handy 19 off 11 balls enabled him to stitch a 49-run partnership with Jadeja, which provided the definitive finishing kick. Facing Mayank Yadav in the final over, Jadeja smashed two boundaries and a six to plunder 20 crucial runs to ensure the Royals posted a competitive total.
Those runs ended up being the truth that LSG just couldn’t find.
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– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
22 Apr 2026 23:38 IST
