Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel (Pic credit: IPL)

NEW DELHI: Rishabh Pant faces a defining IPL 2026 season as he leads Lucknow Super Giants into their opener against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday. After a mixed first year as captain, Pant now has a fully fit squad, with key additions like Mohammed Shami and Anrich Nortje bolstering the pace attack. The return of Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan further strengthens their bowling.LSG’s batting looks settled, with Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram at the top, while Pant is expected to bat higher up the order alongside Nicholas Pooran.Delhi, meanwhile, aim for stability after last season’s inconsistency. KL Rahul is set to open, with options like Prithvi Shaw in contention. Their bowling remains a strength, led by spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, with Lungi Ngidi and T Natarajan adding depth.

LSG vs DC Head-to-Head

Pitch No. 4 is likely to be in use for today’s fixture at the Ekana Stadium. The average first-innings score here last season was 187, a slight drop from 203 in 2024. Weather conditions in Lucknow are expected to be clear, with temperatures around 28°C in the evening and no rain forecast.

LSG vs DC: Predicted XIs

Lucknow Super Giants predicted XI: Mitchell Marsh*, Aiden Markram*, Nicholas Pooran*, Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Mayank Yadav, Digvesh RathiImpact Sub: Anrich Nortje*Delhi Capitals predicted XI: KL Rahul (wk), Pathum Nissanka*, Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs*, Axar Patel (capt), David Miller*, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Auqib Nabi, Dushmantha Chameera*, Kuldeep YadavImpact Sub: T Natarajan

LSG vs DC: Lucknow Weather Update

Clouds and sunshine are expected during the day, with the temperature peaking around 36°C. Conditions will remain partly cloudy at night, with the temperature dropping to around 23°C.It is set to be a hot evening during match time, with no rain expected. The temperature is likely to be around 33°C at toss and could ease to about 28°C by 11 PM.

LSG vs DC: Live Streaming details

The LSG vs DC clash will be held at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, with the match set to begin at 7:30 PM IST. The game will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network, while live streaming will be available on JioHotstar.

LSG vs DC squads

Lucknow Super Giants: Rishabh Pant, Ayush Badoni, Matthew Breetzke, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Arshin Kulkarni, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Maharaj Singh, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Arjun Sachin Tendulkar, Mayank Prabhu Yadav, Wanindu Hasaranga, Anrich Nortje, Josh Inglis, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, Naman Tiwari, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Mohsin Khan, Manimaran Siddharth, Mukul Choudhary.Delhi Capitals: Abishek Porel, KL Rahul, Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Ashutosh Sharma, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Tripurana Vijay, David Miller, Auqib Nabi Dar, Pathum Nissanka, Lungi Ngidi, Prithvi Shaw, Kyle Jamieson, Ajay Jadav Mandal, T Natarajan, Madhav Tiwari, Karun Nair, Sahil Parakh.