The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will face off against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the fifth match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday, April 1.

The Super Giants have bought star bowlers like Anrich Nortje and Wanindu Hasaranga at the 2026 auction before picking up Mohammad Shami via trade with SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). The Rishabh Pant-led team will now look to begin their season on a positive note. Like LSG, the Capitals acquired Auqib Nabi, Kyle Jamieson, and Lungi Ngidi to boost their bowling unit at the auction last year. They already have quality spinners like Kuldeep Yadav and skipper Axar Patel.

On that note, let’s take a look at three bowlers who are likely to emerge as the leading wicket-takers in the LSG vs DC 2026 match:

Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav emerged as the leading wicket-taker for DC in IPL 2025. The left-arm wrist-spinner picked up 15 wickets in 14 matches at an economy rate of 7.07, including 3/22. The Capitals retained him for a whopping ₹13.25 crore ahead of IPL 2026 auction. Overall, Kuldeep has scalped 102 wickets in 98 games at an economy rate of 8.03, including four four-fers. Against LSG, he has taken nine wickets in seven games, with a best figure of 3/20. Overall, the UP-based cricketer has scalped 241 wickets in 189 T20s at an economy rate of 7.46, comprising three fifers.

Notably, Kuldeep has 95 scalps in 54 T20Is. He has also represented Team India in 17 Tests and 120 ODIs. After getting married earlier this month, he would hope that Lady Luck shines on him as DC aim to win their maiden IPL title this year.

Auqib Nabi

Auqib Nabi is likely to make his debut against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2026. The Capitals splurged ₹8.40 crore to buy him at last year’s auction. The 29-year-old emerged as the leading wicket-taker for Jammu & Kashmir as they scripted history by winning the Ranji Trophy 2025-26. The medium pacer bagged 60 wickets in 17 innings, including seven fifers.

Nabi also impressed in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2026 season, picking up 14 wickets in seven games. Before that, Nabi took 15 wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 7.41 at the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. In T20s, he has 43 scalps in 34 games at an economy rate of 7.74. He will now look to deliver for the Capitals, who struggled in their pace bowling unit last year.

Mukesh Kumar

Mukesh Kumar has proven to be an expensive bowler in the IPL but has yielded results with the ball. The 32-year-old has taken 36 wickets in 32 IPL games at an economy rate of 10.39. In IPL 2025, the 32-year-old took 17 wickets in 10 matches at an economy rate of 10.32, including 4/33 against LSG at Ekana Cricket Stadium last season. Overall, Mukesh has scalped seven wickets in five games against the Super Giants. He will now look to deliver another strong performance against the same team.

It’s worth mentioning that Mukesh Kumar has played 17 T20Is, six ODIs, and three Tests for the Men in Blue, picking up 32 wickets across formats. In T20s, he has 84 scalps in 80 games. He recently picked up fifers against Chandigarh and Andhra in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 and Ranji Trophy 2025-26 matches, respectively.