Two key players from either side carry question marks heading into Tuesday’s RR vs LSG game at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Ravindra Jadeja missed Rajasthan Royals’ previous game against Delhi Capitals with a knee niggle and Aiden Markram is unavailable for Lucknow Super Giants for the last two games of the season for personal reasons.

Both absences have significant tactical implications for sides in very different positions heading into this fixture. RR desperately need two wins from two to keep their playoff hopes alive.

LSG are already out of contention but have found form in recent games and arrive with momentum that makes them a dangerous opponent despite having nothing to play for.

RR vs LSG: Will Ravindra Jadeja play for Rajasthan Royals today

The signs are encouraging for RR on Jadeja’s fitness. Batting coach Vikram Rathour confirmed after the DC defeat that Jadeja had missed the game with a knee niggle and that the break was given to him specifically to manage the issue rather than because of a significant injury.

Based on that update Jadeja is likely to be available for RR today’s game against LSG.

There are also reports of an elbow concern alongside the knee but neither appears to be serious enough to rule him out of a fixture that RR cannot afford to lose.

His availability would be significant not just for his batting in the middle order but for a very specific bowling matchup. Jadeja has dismissed Mitchell Marsh twice in six T20I innings and Marsh’s strike rate against him is just 97.22.

On a Jaipur surface that offers assistance to spinners in the second innings Jadeja bowling at Marsh in the powerplay or middle overs is exactly the kind of containment option Riyan Parag will want available.

There is also a slight doubt over Parag’s own hamstring niggle but the captain batted through it for a half-century in the previous game and is expected to play today.

RR vs LSG: Will Aiden Markram play for Lucknow Super Giants today

Markram will not play today or in LSG’s final game of the season. He has returned home for personal reasons and is unavailable for the last two fixtures. His absence has left LSG’s overseas resources stretched significantly.

Matthew Breetzke, the only other reserve overseas batter in the squad, has also departed meaning LSG could realistically field just three overseas players in their XII for today’s game unless they bring back George Linde.

The three overseas players available are Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran and Josh Inglis with Marsh the most important of the three both with bat and ball. Rishabh Pant has been the captain and primary Indian batting asset throughout the season and with Markram gone the burden on Pant to anchor the innings becomes even greater than usual.

RR vs LSG: What it means for both teams heading into today

For RR the Jadeja availability is the most pressing team news ahead of the toss.

Three consecutive defeats including losses in all three Jaipur games this season have put them in a five-way battle for the fourth playoff spot. A fourth straight loss effectively ends their campaign regardless of what happens in the final game.

For LSG already out of contention but playing well these final two games are about finishing the season with something to build on heading into 2027. Mitchell Marsh’s recent form is one of those positives and Prince Yadav’s emergence as a genuine pace option is another.

Facing an RR side under maximum pressure with a depleted overseas group of their own makes today’s game a genuinely interesting contest between a team fighting for its season and a team playing with the freedom that comes from having nothing left to lose.