LSG opt to bowl first against unbeaten PBKS in 2026 IPL clash

Lucknow Super Giants decided to bowl first after winning the toss against table-topping Punjab Kings in Mohali.

Toss decision and team changes Rishabh Pant returned to full fitness after a left elbow knock in the previous match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. At the toss, he called correctly and chose to bowl first, aiming to break Lucknow Super Giants' two-game losing streak against Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh. The visiting side made two alterations: left-arm spinner M Siddharth replaced South Africa's George Linde in the XI, while legspinner Digvesh Rathi was dropped for pacer Mohsin Khan, who featured for his second outing this season. Pant emphasized the need for transparency within the group to facilitate honest discussions. ## PBKS captain's take on batting first Shreyas Iyer showed no concern about Punjab Kings' unchanged lineup having to chase for the first time this season. He described the task as a 'great challenge' and stressed focusing on their own performance rather than external factors. 'It's about us vs us,' Iyer remarked. 'Not about the opponents. If we stay in the present and embrace the opportunity collectively, we'll come up trumps. We've played so many matches, still there are moments we haven't fulfilled yet. Hopefully tonight's that game.' ## LSG bowling-first playing XI Here is Lucknow Super Giants' XI for bowling first: - 1 Mitchell Marsh - 2 Ayush Badoni - 3 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk) - 4 Aiden Markram - 5 Nicholas Pooran - 6 Mukul Choudhary - 7 Mohammed Shami - 8 Avesh Khan - 9 Prince Yadav - 10 M Siddharth - 11 Mohsin Khan ## PBKS batting-first playing XI Punjab Kings' XI for batting first is: - 1 Prabhsimran Singh (wk) - 2 Priyansh Arya - 3 Cooper Connolly - 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt) - 5 Nehal Wadhera - 6 Shashank Singh - 7 Marcus Stoinis - 8 Marco Jansen - 9 Xavier Bartlett - 10 Arshdeep Singh - 11 Yuzvendra Chahal