ipl 2026 The league stage is heading towards a dramatic finale Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) blow the horn with Punjab Kings (PBKS) In a high-pressure clash at the Ikana Stadium. While Lucknow are already out of the playoff race after a disappointing campaign that saw them win only four of their 13 matches, they still have the power to derail Punjab’s playoff hopes in front of their home crowd.
Meanwhile, Punjab Kings find themselves in a dangerous position after a poor performance in the second half of the tournament. Having won six of their opening seven matches without a result, PBKS were looking set for a top-two finish at one point. However, six consecutive defeats have pushed them to fifth place with 13 points from 13 matches, making it a virtual knockout encounter for them. Shreyas Iyer’s Male. Another defeat will officially eliminate them from the playoff race, which once seemed like a dream campaign.
LSG will look to end a disappointing season on a positive note after suffering a crushing defeat against Rajasthan Royals (RR) Despite posting over 220 in his previous outing. Michelle Marsh And josh inglis But, Lucknow was taken to a huge score. glory of suryavanshi The tempting attack left the bowling attack helpless. With no playoff pressure, the hosts can now play fearless cricket and be dangerous.
LSG vs PBKS, IPL 2026: Match Details
- date and time: May 23, 7:00 PM IST / 2 PM GMT
- venue: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
LSG vs PBKS head to head record in IPL
Matches played: 7 | PBKS won: 4 | LSG won: 3
ekana stadium pitch report
The Ekana Stadium has once again behaved like a traditional Lucknow surface this season, pleasing bowlers who maintain discipline and vary their pace cleverly. Black clay wickets generally play at a slow pace, forcing batsmen to bide their time at the crease before attempting big shots. It becomes difficult to produce strokes against quality spin during the middle overs, making partnerships and strike rotation extremely important.
While the average first innings score this season has been around 170, recent matches suggest that a total between 150 and 165 could prove competitive on this surface. Fast bowlers are also expected to get some movement quickly with the new ball, especially in light. Given that dew may arrive in the evening, the captain may prefer to chase the target despite the surface being slow.
squads
Lucknow Super Giants: Rishabh Pant (Captain and wicketkeeper), Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Josh Inglis, Mukul Chaudhary, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Matthew Britzke, Manimaran Siddharth, Anrich Nortje, Himmat Singh, Akshat Raghuvanshi, Naman Tiwari, Arshin Kulkarni, Mayank Yadav, Akash Maharaj Singh, Arjun Tendulkar, Mohsin Khan
Punjab Kings: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Prabhsimran Singh (wicketkeeper), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Johnson, Suryansh Shedge, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar, Vijaykumar Vishak, Vishnu Vinod, Musheer Khan, Xavier Bartlett, Mitchell Owen, Azmatullah Umzai, Ben Dwarshuis, Praveen Dubey, Yash Thakur. Nehal Vadhera, Harnoor Singh, Paila Avinash, Vishal Nishad
Also read: IPL 2026: Kris Srikkanth takes a dig at CSK bowler after being out of the playoffs
LSG vs PBKS, IPL 2026: Today Match Prediction
Case 1:
- PBKS won the toss and bowled first
- LSG’s powerplay score: 45-55
- LSG total score: 175-185
Case 2:
- LSG won the toss and bowled first
- PBKS’s Powerplay Score: 50-60
- PBKS Total Score: 1800-190
Match Result: The team bowling first won the competition.
Also read: Zaheer Khan attacks CSK over Shivam Dubey’s batting position after being ruled out of IPL 2026
