IPL 2026, LSG vs RR 32nd Match Match Preview

Big picture

After galloping to four wins, Rajasthan Royals (RR) have suddenly found themselves in choppy waters with back-to-back defeats to struggling teams. And it’s a pattern that feels eerily familiar to them.

In 2024, they soared to eight wins in their first nine games, only to lose their way entirely – going five matches without a victory at the business end. That slump cost them a top-two finish, and, eventually, their campaign ended with a defeat in Qualifier 2.

In 2023, it was a similar story. Four wins in five gave way to a sharp slide. They lost five of the next six before attempting a late scramble for the playoffs. They eventually fell short and finished fifth. So the warning signs are hard to ignore.

On Wednesday, they run into a side navigating a similar dip.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) arrive on the back of three consecutive defeats. But unlike RR, whose top order has been in marauding form – their powerplay run rate of 12.1 (season’s highest) reflects this – LSG’s has struggled to get going, emerging as the second-lowest-scoring team (8.7) in this phase.

If LSG’s issues are at the top, RR’s frailties lie elsewhere. With the top three of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel contributing a hefty 71% of their runs, the middle and lower order have remained undercooked. This reflects in their death-overs run rate of 8.8 – the lowest this season.

It played out starkly in their previous game against Kolkata Knight Riders, where, after being set up by the openers, they stumbled badly at the back end to lose 4 for 31, which decelerated the innings and led to a below-par 155, which proved inadequate.

LSG have the bowling attack to counter RR’s batting. Prince Yadav has been outstanding in the death overs, and Mohammed Shami has been their trump card at the top. They’ll still need support from the rest to make a match of this.

It sets us up for an engrossing Wednesday evening at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.

Form guide

Lucknow Super Giants LLLWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Rajasthan Royals LLWWW

The big question

Team news

LSG played with just three overseas players in the previous game. While South Africa batter Matthew Breetzke was named as an Impact Player option, he wasn’t used. He could come in for Nicholas Pooran if the team management contemplates a change. The other change could be left-arm spin allrounder Shahbaz Ahmed coming in for M Siddharth to lengthen their batting.

Lucknow Super Giants (probable): 1 Mitchell Marsh, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 4 Ayush Badoni, 5 Matthew Breetzke/Nicholas Pooran, 6 Himmat Singh, 7 Mukul Choudhary, 8 M Siddharth/Shahbaz Ahmed, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Prince Yadav, 11 Avesh Khan/Mayank Yadav, 12 Mohsin Khan

RR have a fully-fit squad to choose from. Sandeep Sharma could come back in for Brijesh Sharma.

Rajasthan Royals (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 3 Dhruv Jurel (wk), 4 Riyan Parag (capt), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Donovan Ferreira, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Nandre Burger, 11 Yash Raj Punja, 12 Brijesh Sharma/Sandeep Sharma

In the spotlight: Avesh Khan and Jofra Archer

Avesh Khan has been on the mend from a back injury. He hasn’t looked close to his best and has had an economy of over ten across all three phases. This hasn’t helped LSG build pressure beyond the powerplay, where they’re one of the best bowling units. In the previous outing, Cooper Connolly and Priyansh Arya toyed with him in the middle overs, with his three wicketless overs going for 46. With Mayank Yadav breathing down his neck, the onus is on Avesh to deliver.

For the first time in three seasons, Jofra Archer has looked at his menacing best in the IPL. He is letting them rip at 145kph consistently and troubling batters with hard lengths and lift even off some of the most docile decks. When he dismissed Tim Seifert for a golden duck at Eden Gardens, Archer had struck off the first ball of the match for the third time this season. In all, he has taken a wicket in the powerplay in five of the six innings so far.

Stats and trivia

Pooran averages 8.5 in six innings so far, and has the lowest strike rate (80) among batters to have faced at least 30 balls this season.
Prince is third on the Purple Cap leaderboard (11 wickets). His five wickets are the joint-most in the powerplay among bowlers featuring in this match.
LSG have won just two of their nine matches at the Ekana since the start of IPL 2025. Their 41% win rate here is the lowest among all teams at their home grounds (minimum 20 matches).
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 15 sixes are the second-most in the powerplay after Abhishek Sharma.

Pitch and conditions

The match will be played on a red-soil deck. While there’s good bounce and carry on such surfaces traditionally, the heat factor has ensured the surfaces have been drier than usual. So far, LSG have managed scores of 141 and 164 batting first in the two games they’ve played here. They ended up losing both of them. Clearly, they’ll need a lot more runs. Can they defy the conditions and touch 200?

Quotes

“He’s entertaining, eh? To think back to when I was 15, I don’t even think I could hit fours just yet. Great talent. Take out the last game, our bowling unit has been pretty solid. We’ve got some plans to counter him.”
LSG batter Aiden Markram on the Vaibhav Sooryavanshi threat

“The losses haven’t affected us. We’re in great touch; it’s a matter of one good game. If we get that in [against LSG], we can once again get on a roll and win three-four games.”
RR vice-captain Dhruv Jurel doesn’t think twin losses have halted their momentum

Shashank Kishore is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo

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