Indian Premier League 2026 - 38th Match
LSG
0/0
vs
KKR
0/0
Match starts at Apr 26, 14:00 GMT
won the toss and chose to
Commentary
Pitch report: We are back in Lucknow again, and this venue has been the lowest scoring venue so far this season. Average score being around 155-156. Well, let's start with the dimension because it is a bigger venue, but it has a smaller size this evening. On my right, it's 64 meters, but on my left is the longest side, which is 69. Straight down is pretty long as well, 73m. Now, for the pitch, I have Simon Katich here. Katich, this has been, like I mentioned, lowest scoring venue, but this strip here is a black soil one, which is being used for the first time this season. Yeah, pitch number six, when we looked down it and said, there's some runner cracks, almost deep soil lines. So I just wonder whether there might be some variable bounce off those cracks tonight. The other difference that we see in a black soil pitch compared to the red soil from the other night's match against RR, is the bounce. So on the red soil, on average, there's 9cm more bounce, which brought a lot of the batters undone the other night with the odd bouncer and the short ball with the deeper pockets out square. So that might be the difference here on this pitch tonight. It might be a little bit lower bounce, a little bit of variable bounce. The other thing that's noticeable at this venue is that eight of the last 11 games here have been won by the chasing team. That didn't happen for LSG the other night. I'd like to see their tactics changed in the way they go about the first 10 overs of their innings. They've got plenty of overseas power, but they weren't able to utilise that at the back end of the innings because they'd gone too hard too early. I don't think this is a high-scoring pitch either because the crack that you mentioned, and this looks a little tacky, so be careful, especially if you're batting first. - Deep Dasgupta.
With the tournament entering a crucial phase, this clash feels less like a regular league fixture and more like a battle for survival. Another defeat could leave either team staring at an uphill road to the playoffs, while a win could breathe fresh life into a struggling season. Expect urgency, pressure and two teams throwing everything they have into a must-win contest.
Their meeting earlier this season produced a thriller, with LSG edging past KKR in a game decided by fine margins. Kolkata will hope the arrival of Matheesha Pathirana strengthens their bowling unit, but their batting continues to be a concern after a string of underwhelming performances. LSG, meanwhile, possess a strong bowling attack capable of controlling games, though their overseas batters have yet to hit top form this season.
18:18 Local Time, 12:48 GMT, 18:18 IST: Match 38 of IPL 2026 brings together two sides desperate for a turnaround as Lucknow Super Giants take on Kolkata Knight Riders. It has been a disappointing campaign so far for both teams, with LSG managing just 2 wins from 7 matches, while KKR have fared even worse with only 1 victory in 7 outings. As a result, both teams find themselves stuck near the bottom of the points table with little margin for error.
Preview by Aadya Sharma
Team slogans have a habit of backfiring spectacularly if things don't go your way. LSG went with a very optimistic "Ab apni baari hai (It's our turn now)", placing it on stadium poles and posters. Tattered by four straight losses, and ninth on the table, their pursuit has become a far-fetched dream.
Standing opposite is a team in worse health. Still bottom-placed, KKR finally found the comfort of a win vs RR after five losses and a washout. The week-long gap must be a welcome relief.
LSG have found robust home support - last match's crowd was 42,000-strong - but they haven't repaid their fans yet. They lost the last four home games in 2025. This year, they've added three more. Justin Langer called their losing streak "really frustrating" for both the team and fans.
On the surface, batting has been LSG's biggest letdown. Playing without a fourth overseas player, they've switched around the lineup without much in return. Ayush Badoni, who opened just twice before in T20 cricket, is now their preferred opener. Nicholas Pooran, their spin-hunter from last season, has an abysmal strike-rate of 82 to show from seven innings. The odd sparks aside, their batting has just not clicked collectively.
Having to dig deep into their bowling resources, KKR have just not been able to clutch key moments. They've lost in the final over three times, including the last-ball finish in their thrilling game against LSG earlier. A win in the last game is at least a starting point to escape from the tenth spot. Varun Chakaravarthy and Rinku Singh, their two Indian pillars, have finally found form. And yes, Matheesha Pathirana is finally here.
When: LSG vs KKR on April 26, 2026, 7.30 PM IST
Where: BRSABV Ekana International Stadium, Lucknow
What to expect: The previous game was played on a red-soil pitch which Langer likened to the WACA. This game, though, will be played on a black-soil pitch, which could see more runs and assistance for spinners, unlike the surface the other day, where new-ball quicks found sharp bounce.
Team Watch
Lucknow Super Giants
Injuries/Unavailabilities: Josh Inglis, married a few days ago, could join the squad at some point next week. Mayank Yadav, termed "fit and firing" by Aiden Markram, finally earned a spot last game, only to conceded 56 runs. With Avesh Khan also having been expensive, it remains to be seen if they retain him.
LSG skipped training two days before the game, and had a low-key session the night before, with only a select few batters turning up. Rishabh Pant, who usually spends plenty of time reading the pitch, wasn't around to train.
Tactics and matchups: Unlike their batting woes, LSG's bowling attack has been the best of the lot in Powerplays (14 wickets at 23.6, economy 7.85). LSG's dot ball-percentage of 49.6 is the best among all sides in the Powerplay. That's a strong advantage on paper over KKR's openers (144 runs at 20.6), who have the worst aggregate among all teams. Watch out for Mohammed Shami vs Ajinkya Rahane: the batter has played nearly ten overs of him without being dismissed, striking at 168.
Probable XII:Ayush Badoni, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Mukul Choudhary, Mohammed Shami, Mayank Yadav, Digvesh Rathi, Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav
Kolkata Knight Riders
After weeks of anticipation, Matheesha Pathirana has finally linked up with the squad, and is up for selection. The evening before, he was seen bowling inch-perfect yorkers to Rinku Singh and Angkrish Raghuvanshi. It remains to be seen how he fits into the XI: KKR could potentially switch out Tim Seifert or Rovman Powell and consider dropping an Indian seamer for an additional middle-order batter like Manish Pandey.
Tactics & matchups:
A fully fit and back-in-form Varun Chakaravarthy would be a crucial boost for KKR, especially to tie down Rishabh Pant and Nicholas Pooran. In all T20s, Pant averages 10.3 against Chakaravarthy, striking at 103.3. Oh, and he's also dismissed Aiden Markram six times.
Crucially, Varun did not bowl in their Eden thriller when Mukul Choudhary went berserk. Mukul's pace versus spin strike-rate so far is (157.14 vs 128.57). They might want to keep an extra over of spin if he's in earlier.
Probable XII:Ajinkya Rahane, Tim Seifert/Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cam Green, Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Kartik Tyagi, Matheesha Pathirana/Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy
Did you know?
Ajinkya Rahane has the most ducks by an IPL opener (12)
Nicholas Pooran's strike-rate drop from IPL 2025 to 2026 is massive (196.25 vs 82.02)
LSG have been the worst spin-bowling unit this year (7 wickets at 58.57, ER 10)
What they said
"Look, I think everyone at the moment knows that probably our batting is a little bit short (of) where it needs to be and no more than the players themselves. But I can assure there's every kind of work, conversations and guys working hard in the net to overcome that. We feel we are one match away from smashing it where we need to be and all the batters are quality players in each one of them" - Carl Crowe, LSG spin-bowling coach
"(Win vs RR) boosted the confidence of the entire team, and we felt nice finally winning our first game. We had two days off in the last four days, and enjoyed ourselves a lot. Everyone's confident, hope we can continue winning" -Anukul Roy, KKR all-rounder
Team slogans have a habit of backfiring spectacularly if things don't go your way. LSG went with a very optimistic "Ab apni baari hai (It's our turn now)", placing it on stadium poles and posters. Tattered by four straight losses, and ninth on the table, their pursuit has become a far-fetched dream.
Standing opposite is a team in worse health. Still bottom-placed, KKR finally found the comfort of a win vs RR after five losses and a washout. The week-long gap must be a welcome relief.
LSG have found robust home support - last match's crowd was 42,000-strong - but they haven't repaid their fans yet. They lost the last four home games in 2025. This year, they've added three more. Justin Langer called their losing streak "really frustrating" for both the team and fans.
On the surface, batting has been LSG's biggest letdown. Playing without a fourth overseas player, they've switched around the lineup without much in return. Ayush Badoni, who opened just twice before in T20 cricket, is now their preferred opener. Nicholas Pooran, their spin-hunter from last season, has an abysmal strike-rate of 82 to show from seven innings. The odd sparks aside, their batting has just not clicked collectively.
Having to dig deep into their bowling resources, KKR have just not been able to clutch key moments. They've lost in the final over three times, including the last-ball finish in their thrilling game against LSG earlier. A win in the last game is at least a starting point to escape from the tenth spot. Varun Chakaravarthy and Rinku Singh, their two Indian pillars, have finally found form. And yes, Matheesha Pathirana is finally here.
When: LSG vs KKR on April 26, 2026, 7.30 PM IST
Where: BRSABV Ekana International Stadium, Lucknow
What to expect: The previous game was played on a red-soil pitch which Langer likened to the WACA. This game, though, will be played on a black-soil pitch, which could see more runs and assistance for spinners, unlike the surface the other day, where new-ball quicks found sharp bounce.
Team Watch
Lucknow Super Giants
Injuries/Unavailabilities: Josh Inglis, married a few days ago, could join the squad at some point next week. Mayank Yadav, termed "fit and firing" by Aiden Markram, finally earned a spot last game, only to conceded 56 runs. With Avesh Khan also having been expensive, it remains to be seen if they retain him.
LSG skipped training two days before the game, and had a low-key session the night before, with only a select few batters turning up. Rishabh Pant, who usually spends plenty of time reading the pitch, wasn't around to train.
Tactics and matchups: Unlike their batting woes, LSG's bowling attack has been the best of the lot in Powerplays (14 wickets at 23.6, economy 7.85). LSG's dot ball-percentage of 49.6 is the best among all sides in the Powerplay. That's a strong advantage on paper over KKR's openers (144 runs at 20.6), who have the worst aggregate among all teams. Watch out for Mohammed Shami vs Ajinkya Rahane: the batter has played nearly ten overs of him without being dismissed, striking at 168.
Probable XII:Ayush Badoni, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Mukul Choudhary, Mohammed Shami, Mayank Yadav, Digvesh Rathi, Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav
Kolkata Knight Riders
After weeks of anticipation, Matheesha Pathirana has finally linked up with the squad, and is up for selection. The evening before, he was seen bowling inch-perfect yorkers to Rinku Singh and Angkrish Raghuvanshi. It remains to be seen how he fits into the XI: KKR could potentially switch out Tim Seifert or Rovman Powell and consider dropping an Indian seamer for an additional middle-order batter like Manish Pandey.
Tactics & matchups:
A fully fit and back-in-form Varun Chakaravarthy would be a crucial boost for KKR, especially to tie down Rishabh Pant and Nicholas Pooran. In all T20s, Pant averages 10.3 against Chakaravarthy, striking at 103.3. Oh, and he's also dismissed Aiden Markram six times.
Crucially, Varun did not bowl in their Eden thriller when Mukul Choudhary went berserk. Mukul's pace versus spin strike-rate so far is (157.14 vs 128.57). They might want to keep an extra over of spin if he's in earlier.
Probable XII:Ajinkya Rahane, Tim Seifert/Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cam Green, Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Kartik Tyagi, Matheesha Pathirana/Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy
Did you know?
Ajinkya Rahane has the most ducks by an IPL opener (12)
Nicholas Pooran's strike-rate drop from IPL 2025 to 2026 is massive (196.25 vs 82.02)
LSG have been the worst spin-bowling unit this year (7 wickets at 58.57, ER 10)
What they said
"Look, I think everyone at the moment knows that probably our batting is a little bit short (of) where it needs to be and no more than the players themselves. But I can assure there's every kind of work, conversations and guys working hard in the net to overcome that. We feel we are one match away from smashing it where we need to be and all the batters are quality players in each one of them" - Carl Crowe, LSG spin-bowling coach
"(Win vs RR) boosted the confidence of the entire team, and we felt nice finally winning our first game. We had two days off in the last four days, and enjoyed ourselves a lot. Everyone's confident, hope we can continue winning" -Anukul Roy, KKR all-rounder
Squads:
Lucknow Super Giants Squad: Mitchell Marsh, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Himmat Singh, Mukul Choudhary, Mohammed Shami, Mayank Yadav, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav, George Linde, Manimaran Siddharth, Matthew Breetzke, Abdul Samad, Avesh Khan, Josh Inglis, Anrich Nortje, Arjun Tendulkar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Maharaj Singh, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Arshin Kulkarni, Naman Tiwari
Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: Tim Seifert(w), Ajinkya Rahane(c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Manish Pandey, Finn Allen, Tejasvi Dahiya, Navdeep Saini, Rahul Tripathi, Sarthak Ranjan, Rachin Ravindra, Prashant Solanki, Blessing Muzarabani, Saurabh Dubey, Matheesha Pathirana, Umran Malik, Daksh Kamra