Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will take on Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League(IPL) on Wednesday, April 1 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.

LSG head into the season after underwhelming performances in the last two editions, where they failed to progress beyond the league stage. Led by Rishabh Pant, the team boasts a strong overseas core including Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Anrich Nortje, and Nicholas Pooran. However, their Indian contingent appears relatively inexperienced, with key responsibilities falling on players like Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi, Mohsin Khan, and Mayank Yadav. They will aim to display their strength infront of their home crowd to secure two points. 

On the other hand, DC will be captained by Indian T20I vice-captain Axar Patel after finishing fifth in IPL 2025. The franchise has retained a solid core featuring wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, Abishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, and Kuldeep Yadav. They have further strengthened their squad in the mini-auction by adding players like Auqib Nabi, David Miller, Pathum Nissanka, and Lungi Ngidi.

Both teams will be eager to start their IPL 2026 campaign on a positive note, aiming to secure early points and set the tone for the rest of the tournament. 

• Ayush Badoni: Needs 37 runs to reach 1000 runs in IPL
• Aiden Markram: Needs 1 four to reach 500 fours in T20s
• Mitchell Marsh: Needs 1 six to reach 300 sixes in T20s
• Nicholas Pooran: Needs 9 fours to reach 700 fours in T20s

• Abishek Porel: Needs 18 runs to reach 1500 runs in T20s
• Karun Nair: Needs one six to reach 50 sixes in IPL
• KL Rahul: Needs 5 fours to reach 700 fours in IPL