IPL Toss Today: PBKS opt to bowl as Arjun Tendulkar makes his LSG debut

Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant, left, and Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer (AP Photo) Punjab Kings won the crucial toss in their must-win IPL 2026 clash against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium and opted to bat first as they look to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.PBKS enter the competition under huge pressure after six straight defeats completely derailed what once looked like a top-two campaign. As recently as 25 April, Punjab were comfortably at the top of the table with 13 points from seven games, but a dramatic dip in form has left them in a desperate fight for survival.Captain Shreyas Iyer acknowledged the high stakes surrounding the contest after opting to chase.“We’ll be bowling first. Two changes – Marco and Vyshak are in. The feeling is exciting, I’d say it’s a do-or-die game for us. We’ve never been in this situation before and the boys are waiting to give their best.”Punjab’s qualification equation remains complicated. Not only do they need a win tonight, preferably by a convincing margin, but they also need favorable results elsewhere, including points drops from Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders, who have failed to improve their net rate much.The season has already flown by for Lucknow, but captain Rishabh Pant said his side wanted to finish strong despite a difficult campaign.“We would also bowl first. This wicket is good for cricket regardless of bowling or batting. This is one of the better batting wickets, it could be a high-scoring match. Two changes – Arjun and Arshin Kulkarni are in. It’s been a tough season, but at the same time we’ve learned a lot, both for the team and personally. Everyone says it’s been tough, it’s been tough for the fans. It’s been tough for us, but today we’ll give it 100%.Availability issues have also hit Lucknow hard, with Mitchell Marsh missing from today’s match along with already absent overseas players Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke and Anrich Nortje. Marsh’s absence is particularly significant considering the Australian opener has scored 563 runs this season and formed a destructive opening partnership with Josh Inglis in recent matches.Teams:Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Josh Inglis, Arshin Kulkarni, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant (w/c), Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, Arjun Tendulkar, Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav, Mohsin Khan.Punjabi kings (Playing XI): Prabhsimran Singh (w), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.With Punjab’s season hanging in the balance and Lucknow looking to finish on a positive note, the stakes remain high in Match 68 of IPL 2026.

Which team has a better chance of making the playoffs?