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Josh Hazlewood from the other end, to no one’s surprise. He starts with a wide before pitching it up and Marsh straight-bats it down the ground for an eye-catching six. Hazlewood responds with an in-swinger. Marsh blocks it away.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, playing his 200th IPL game, with the new ball. LSG’s openers are Mitch Marsh and Arshin Kulkarni.

Bhuvi begins by swinging one away from Marsh. Well left. Marsh gets going with a single – a punch to mid on. Kulkarni gets inside the line to push one to deep square for a couple of runs. He repeats the shot again. Gains another double. Five runs from the first over.

LSG 5/0 in 1 over

Josh Hazlewood (RCB): 10 wickets (BBI: 4/25)

Mohammed Siraj (RCB): 7 wickets (BBI: 3/22)

Naveen-ul-Haq (LSG): 5 wickets (BBI: 3/30)

Virat Kohli (RCB): 242 runs (Avg: 34.57)

Faf du Plessis (RCB): 238 runs (Avg: 59.50)

KL Rahul (LSG): 147 runs (Avg: 36.75)

Tim David, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Otswal, Venkatesh Iyer.

Mayank Yadav, Mukul Chowdhary, Abdul Samad, M. Siddharth, Avesh Khan

Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(C), Jitesh Sharma(WK), Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar, Josh Hazlewood

Mitchell Marsh, Arshin Kulkarni, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (C, WK), Aiden Markram, Akshat Raghuvanshi, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmad, Digvesh Rathi, Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav.

RCB wins the toss, opts to bowl first.

Rajat Patidar playing with the XI.

A few injuries for LSG. Arshin comes in Inglis, Mayank comes in for Mohsin and Shahbaz Ahmad finds a place in the XI as well.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar enters this match as the leading wicket-taker of IPL 2026. He dismissed Pant cheaply in their last encounter, but Pant’s career strike rate against him remains high (over 210).

Virat Kohli trails the current Orange Cap holder by only 66 runs. Given the large outfields and slow pitch, his ability to manipulate gaps and run hard between wickets is expected to be a major factor.

The Lucknow surface remains a challenging “low-slow” deck. Recent matches have seen scores as low as 155 result in a tie, and seamers and spinners alike have found significant assistance. Expect a grinding, tactical battle rather than a high-scoring shootout.

The match is hosted at the Ekana International Cricket Stadium, a venue known for assisting bowlers significantly, with wickets falling at an average of just 19.93.

Pujara noted that he doesn’t see any technical flaws in Pant’s batting. Instead, he believes the issue is mindset and a lack of clarity regarding his role and shot selection when he walks out to bat.

On a difficult, slow surface with a large outfield, Virat Kohli’s technical proficiency makes him a primary threat as he chases the Orange Cap.

Despite a poor run of form—scoring only 63 runs in seven outings—the RCB management, specifically spin-bowling coach Malolan Rangarajan, has expressed full faith in the wicketkeeper-batter.

Pujara expressed surprise that Pant, who is known for his ability to attack any bowler in Test cricket, has an IPL record that is “not as good” and feels “pretty ordinary” by comparison.

The “Big Four” (Marsh, Markram, Pant, and Pooran) have all failed to maintain a strike rate above 150 this season. Rishabh Pant, in particular, has been pushed down the order after losing his No. 3 slot.

While RCB’s lower-middle order (positions 5-8) scores at a league-high rate of 9.91, they also lose wickets more frequently than any other team (every 15.2 balls).

LSG will rely on their pace battery—including Mohammad Shami, Mohsin Khan, and Prince Yadav—to expose RCB’s middle order, which has shown a tendency to collapse under pressure.

The visitor’s success has been anchored by their new-ball pair, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, who have combined for 25 wickets this season.

Mohsin Khan has already bowled three wicket-maidens this season, a rare feat that highlights his threat with the new ball on the Lucknow surface.

Even with Phil Salt out for medical scans, RCB looks formidable. Virat Kohli is currently within striking distance of the Orange Cap and thrives in these types of difficult batting conditions.

Despite scoring a century in this fixture last season, the LSG captain has struggled for rhythm this year, scoring 204 runs at a strike rate of 128.30.

RCB enters as the most complete side of the tournament, looking to climb to the top of the table. Conversely, LSG has struggled with consistency and sits at the bottom of the rankings (#10).

LSG currently holds a record of 13 wins and 20 defeats at home. This is the worst win-loss ratio of any active IPL team in their own stadium, making the “home advantage” almost non-existent for them tonight.

RCB enters the match as the defending champion looking for a top-two finish, while LSG is currently bottom of the table.

Welcome to Sportstar’s Live Blog of the LSG vs RCB IPL 2026 game.