RCB seek pole position as LSG play host in a battle of retribution
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru return to action after a good break of six days as they lock horns with Lucknow Super Giants in the Ekana Stadium. RCB will have a gilt-edged opportunity to cruise to the top of the points table if they can register a win against Lucknow Super Giants, taking them to 14 points, a digit above the Punjab Kings who lost the pole position after a defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The last time these two teams met, RCB left LSG wobbling, courtesy of a superlative bowling show. Rasikh Salam Dar was the pick of the lot with his career-best IPL figures of 4/24. Since then both sides have played out significant bit of cricket. With six wins from nine games, RCB sits in the third position of the points table with 12 points next to their name.
They will be coming into this game on the back of a warring defeat against Gujarat Titans. After a batting slip-up, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s sensational bowling show turned the game into a thriller. But with modest numbers on the board, the Titans finished the game without much to worry about. Lucknow Super Giants will also be entering the yard on the back of a defeat against Mumbai Indians who chased down 229 with an over to spare.
The urgency for both the sides to return to winning ways, amplifies the spice that this game will have in store. Combined with the lethal firepower, this simply turns into a contest of immense value, featuring the thrills and the super players who can flip the fortunes of the game.
Venue Watch
The last couple of games played in Ekana has shown very modest scores being racked up. With hint of spongy bounce along the track, bowlers will be hoping to show the mean punch that they are capable of packing. Despite dew being on the cards, it exactly hasn’t eased things out for the batters and that is what makes batting tougher on the surface. One has to be watchful with the shots and watch out for the odd bounce that proved to be a verdict from the bowlers.
Match detail:
Match: Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Venue: Ekana Stadium, Lucknow
Date: 7th May, 2026
Time: 7:30 PM
Head-to-head:
Matches played: 7
RCB: 5
LSG: 2
Squads:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru:
Rajat Patidar (C), Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, Tim David, Jacob Bethell, Romario Shepherd, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jordan Cox, Suyash Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Swapnil Singh, Jacob Duffy, Kanishk Chouhan, Abhinandan Singh, Mangesh Yadav, Phil Salt, Satvik Deswal, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra
Lucknow Super Giants:
Rishabh Pant (C/WK), Mukul Choudhary (WK), Josh Inglis (WK), Nicholas Pooran (WK), Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Akshat Raghuvanshi, Matthew Breetzke, Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahamad, Arshin Kulkarni, Ayush Badoni, Mohammad Shami, Avesh Khan, M Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar, Anrich Nortje, Naman Tiwari, George Linde, Mayank Yadav, and Mohsin Khan.
