The local autowallahs already think they’ve seen the script. “Chaar over se zyada Vaibhav khel gaya toh match wahi jeetake dega,” says one driver, an ardent enthusiast whose eyes light up at the mention of the 15-year-old miracle species. The buzz around Vaibhav Suryavanshi is inevitable, but his presence at the Ekana Stadium on Wednesday carries even more weight for the hosts.
Rajasthan Royals come to Lucknow looking to end a two-match skid after their opening four-match skid. They will face Lucknow Super Giants, who are currently rooted in ninth place, having lost three on the bounce and looking completely demoralized.
- The IPL 2026 match will start at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium at 19:30 IST on Wednesday. Star Sports will telecast the match in India. The live broadcast will be on JioHostar.
At the heart of the city lies Bara Imambara, famous for its Bhool Bhulaiya – a labyrinth where guides warn that “four paths are ghosts (bhooth) and only one is true. In 2026, Ekana became LSG’s own private maze. Six consecutive defeats at home –including two to start this season—turned the stadium into a place that is only “home” on paper.
They return to Ekana on Wednesday, desperate to stop the rot and find a way out of the darkness. They experimented with combinations and played with surface preparation, yet they remain lost in their own backyard.
None of their big guns found their way out. The bowling attack, formidable on paper, began to wither – the decline was exposed on Sunday when the Kings of Punjab plundered 254 runs in Mullanpur.
Campaign manager Aiden Markram, speaking to the press in Lucknow on Tuesday, acknowledged the rarity of their predicament: almost the entire core – including himself, captain Rishabh Pant, Mitchell Marsh and the usually explosive Nicholas Pooran – hit the slump at the same time.
Clarity of thought is noticeably lacking in a dressing room that has perhaps shuffled too many times this season.
“It’s probably just a case of trying to find a bit of a rhythm. It’s quite strange,” Markram said.
“We laugh about it in the sense that one or two guys can struggle – it’s part of the game – but when it’s the whole batting line-up, the likelihood of that happening normally is pretty slim.”
VAIBHAV COMING WITH A VENGEANCE?
Will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shoot in Lucknow? (PTI photo)
As the home team struggles to find an exit, visiting Suryavanshi looms like a bhooth in the corridors – an elusive threat that could ensure LSG remain trapped in the dark.
Still, the miraculous species comes with its own scars. After Royals’ defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders earlier this week, The 15-year-old was visibly overcome with emotion. On a treacherous two-pace Eden Gardens track, Vaibhav’s 28-ball 46 was the only spark in a dismal collective effort that saw Rajasthan restricted to just 155 – a total their bowlers couldn’t hold back even against a failing KKR batting unit. Knowing the teenager’s insatiable hunger for runs, this ordeal in Kolkata is likely to fuel a desire to take matters into their own hands on Wednesday.
The Royals have their own ghosts to contend with. While their top order has been clinical, the middle of the scorecard has looked like a void recently. Skipper Riyan Parag has struggled to find his rhythm since handing over the captaincy and with Shimron Hetmyer and Ravindra Jadeja yet to find consistency, RR’s momentum has stalled.
In their recent losses to SunRisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, the Royals’ innings often resembled a high-powered engine that simply shuts down once the openers depart. If LSG finally unravel the slow-turning mystery of Ekana, they will find a Rajasthani middle order that is as vulnerable as it is talented at the moment.
LSG vs RR: HEAD-TO-HEAD
Lucknow Super Giants have played Rajasthan Royals six times in the IPL and managed only two wins. They successfully defended the target of 180 runs in Jaipur last year. Despite Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal stitching together 85 runs off just 52 deliveries, Rajasthan lost the match by two runs after a middle-order flop show – something LSG fans would have hoped for this time as well. In Lucknow, Rajasthan Royals won on their only trip to the city in 2024.
LSG vs RR: WHAT TO EXPECT
On the eve of the match, both teams worked up a sweat at the nets. Rishabh Pant walked in first and struck hoping to end the slim patch at this spot. Aiden Markram was a determined man who focused on playing against spin, knowing he would bat in the middle order.
The only way for Nicholas Pooran to break out of a long slump is to hit the balls, and that’s after the sun goes down in the city. He didn’t even look sharp in the nets, beaten by the pitching specialists who gave him intense training. Pooran managed just 51 runs in six matches in IPL 2026 and did not cross the 20-run mark in the last 10 innings. With the arrival of Josh Inglis on the cards, Pooran needs to find form to avoid being benched.
“People sometimes forget they’re human and they’re allowed to have a couple of bad weeks, but if he does it right, he’ll definitely win cricket for our team. That’s how we see it. It only takes one strike and when that strike comes, it ends up having a really big impact on the game,” Markram said, telling the world that LSG are backing their biggest match-winner. Aiden Markram backed Nicholas Pooran to find form (PTI Photo)
VAIBHAV VS SPIN EARLY ON?
On the other hand, Vaibhav Suryavanshi had a short net session in which he faced spinners exclusively. The young man was destroyed by Varun Chakravarthy’s mystery in Kolkata after getting off to a good start. LSG have the option of fielding Digvesh Rathi, the mystery man, against the youngster, who also has to contend with the quality pace of Mohammed Shami & Co. Both teams did not make much use of their pace bowlers in the nets considering how rough the weather was in Lucknow during the day and early evening.
LUCKNOW PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS
It will be a hot and humid evening in Lucknow with no chance of rain. The pitch that will be used for Wednesday’s match is a red clay pitch. Ground crews were seen watering the surface on Tuesday night before covering it to ensure it didn’t dry out too much when the sun shines on Wednesday morning.
LSG are moving away from a pitch that was a mix of red and black clay to a full red clay pitch, hoping that their natural strike makers will be amply rewarded. There will be runs, but the new-ball bowlers could find some help in terms of bounce and pace.
LSG vs RR: TEAM NEWS – WILL MAYANK YADAV PLAY?
Lucknow Super Giants have been stressing that their ace pacer Mayank Yadav is injury-free, but they have not played him in a single match. on Tuesday Markram said once more that the ‘New Delhi Express’, who last played in a T20 World Cup warm-up match for India A in February, is fit and ready to go.
“Last I heard he’s fit and firing, so a fit and firing Mayank Yadav adds great headaches to any team he’s in. So whether he’ll play tomorrow I have no idea, but certainly from our team-mates’ point of view it’s great to see him fit and healthy and really fired up (to go). He’s an X-factor and has a strong feel as a bowler,” Markram said.
The season is slowly but surely slipping out of their hands and LSG may be forced to bring Mayank into the picture. If he fits, Avesh Khan or Mohsin Khan may have to back off. Meanwhile, Markram confirmed that LSG will stick to their combination of having Ayush Badoni open alongside Mitchell Marsh while he continues to bat in the middle order to provide a cushion for the struggling Pooran.
LSG PREDICTED XI: Mitchell Marsh, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Mukul Choudhary, Himmat Singh, Digvesh Rathi, Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav. Impact Sub: Mayank Yadav.
On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals have a well settled combination which they would like to fire in unison. They have the option of playing Dasun Shanaka in place of Shimron Hetmyer, who managed just 39 runs in four innings. Karnataka’s tall Yash Raj Punja impressed on his debut but could make way for Sandeep Sharma, who might be better suited to a pitch that has favored pace over spin in recent times.
RR PREDICTED XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (week), Riyan Parag (captain), Donovan Ferreira, Dasun Shanaka, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Bishnoi, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma. Impact Sub: Brijesh Sharma.
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– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
22 Apr 2026 06:01 IST
