Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) players observed a minute’s silence and wore black armbands ahead of the start of the IPL 2026 match at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Friday in memory of those who lost their lives in the storms that have hit Uttar Pradesh in recent days.“In solidarity and remembrance. Today we stand together in grief and remembrance and honor the lives lost in the Uttar Pradesh storms,” CSK officials posted on X.Earlier, LSG captain Rishabh Pant won the toss and decided to bat first over CSK.FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES:
A win for CSK would put them in the top four of the points table and improve their chances of qualifying for the playoffs. LSG are already out of the playoffs and are playing for pride in their remaining matches.LSG made three changes to their playing XI, bringing in Akash Singh, Abdul Samad and Mukul Choudhary.After winning the toss, Pant said: “The wicket looks a bit off, so we just didn’t have to go out and bat. We have a lot to achieve as a team. We’re a team, we run on confidence and that’s something we’re looking forward to. We’re definitely trying a few things for next season. And we’re just looking forward to giving 200 per cent no matter what.”“There’s certainly no running away from the way we’ve played this season. But at the same time there’s a lot of positives to take away because we’re a little bit frustrated as a team because we know we’ve got the squad to do well.”“We can do it and sometimes things don’t go your way but at the same time there are no complaints from this side. We still have to play good cricket and try to improve every day.”CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad said Spencer Johnson will make his franchise debut in place of the injured Jamie Overton, while Gurjapneet Singh replaced Akeal Hosein during the side’s bowling innings.“It’s a privilege to wear the yellow jersey. It’s a place where you have to bat well and mix it up. It’s a bit damp to start with, but if we start well and get to 170-180, it’s going to be quite challenging.”Teams:Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary.Lucknow Super Giants: Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (wk/c), Mukul Choudhary, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Mayank Yadav, Akash Maharaj Singh, Prince Yadav.
