Mayank Yadav makes comeback as LSG opt to bowl vs RR in IPL 2026

LSG captain Rishabh Pant chose to bowl first against RR in Lucknow after winning the toss, with Mayank Yadav playing his first game of the season.

LSG win toss elect to bowl Captain Rishabh Pant called heads and decided to bowl first against Rajasthan Royals in Lucknow. The decision came as the home side had lost their last three matches in IPL 2026, while RR had also lost their previous two games. Pant admitted they were still working out the best team combination after recent challenges. He emphasized the need to adapt playing strategies on home turf with minimal adjustments to maintain stability. ## LSG make two changes to XI The Lucknow Super Giants made two changes to their playing eleven for the match. Legspinner Digvesh Rathi replaced M Siddharth, while fast bowler Mayank Yadav returned after missing the start of the season and took the place of Avesh Khan. Both players were included in the starting lineup, marking a shift in the bowling attack against RR. ## Pant backs Pooran despite struggles LSG continued to rely on Nicholas Pooran to regain his form despite his poor start to the season. Pooran had scored just 51 runs in six innings with the lowest strike rate among batters who faced at least 50 deliveries this year. Pant expressed full trust in Pooran's potential, stating, "A player who has shown so much potential, you want to trust him regardless." The captain highlighted the need to support the West Indian batter through his tough phase. ## RR aim to bounce back against LSG Rajasthan Royals entered the match looking to halt their recent decline against a struggling LSG side. RR were positioned fourth on the points table with eight points after six matches, and a victory would elevate them to second place. Captain Riyan Parag acknowledged some miscalculations in their middle overs against KKR earlier and stressed the importance of playing 40 overs of consistent cricket. ## RR announce bat-first playing XI Rajasthan Royals named their starting eleven to bat first against LSG. The lineup included Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Riyan Parag (captain), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi, Brijesh Sharma, and Nandre Burger. The bench comprised Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Yash Raj Punia, Shubham Dubey, and Tushar Deshpande. ## LSG reveal bowl-first starting eleven Lucknow Super Giants revealed their XI to bowl first against Rajasthan Royals. The team featured Mitchell Marsh, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant (captain and wicketkeeper), Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Mukul Choudhary, Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Rathi, and Mayank Yadav. The substitutes included Himmat Singh, George Linde, M Siddharth, Matthew Breetzke, and Abdul Samad.