Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) host Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 68th match of IPL 2026 on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, starting at 7:30 PM IST. For your Dream11 team, Mitchell Marsh is the top captain pick. He is Orange Cap number two this season with 563 runs at a strike rate of 163.18 and scored a brutal 96 off 57 balls against RR in his last outing, arriving in this fixture as LSG’s most dominant and highest-ceiling batter.
Arshdeep Singh or Cooper Connolly work well as vice-captain options, covering PBKS’s ace left-arm pacer who dismissed Marsh for a golden duck at this exact Ekana venue in IPL 2025 and is PBKS’s most reliable wicket-taker in a must-win game and their most consistent top-order run-scorer who has been the only batter to maintain form through their disastrous six-match losing streak.
LSG vs PBKS Match Preview, IPL 2026
| Match Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Match | LSG vs PBKS, IPL 2026 Match 68 |
| Date | Saturday, May 23, 2026 |
| Time | 7:30 PM IST |
| Venue | Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow |
| Broadcast | Star Sports Network (Star Sports 2 HD/SD), JioHotstar |
| LSG Captain | Rishabh Pant |
| PBKS Captain | Shreyas Iyer |
| LSG Coach | Justin Langer |
| Key Absentees | Aiden Markram (LSG — has returned home; unavailable for the rest of IPL 2026; confirmed by Rishabh Pant at the toss vs RR); no confirmed absentees from PBKS |
| LSG Season Form | 10th place — 4 wins, 9 losses in 13 matches; 8 points; officially eliminated; beat CSK by 7 wickets in their last game playing with nothing-to-lose freedom |
| PBKS Season Form | 5th place — 6 wins, 6 losses, 1 No Result in 13 matches; 13 points; started the season 7-0 unbeaten; on a catastrophic 6-match losing streak; must win to stay alive in the playoff race and also need RR and KKR to lose |
LSG vs PBKS Predicted Playing XI & Key Players
Here are the predicted playing XI and key players to watch out for from both teams.
LSG Predicted Playing XI
LSG Predicted XI: Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (C & WK), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav
Impact Player: Digvesh Rathi
PBKS Predicted Playing XI
PBKS Predicted XI: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (C), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact Player: Marcus Stoinis
LSG vs PBKS Weather & Pitch Reports
| Weather Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Daytime High | 43°C (109°F) — among the most extreme match-day heat of IPL 2026; a major physical challenge for pace bowlers on extended spells |
| Match-Time Temp | 30–34°C (86–93°F) — temperatures remain high even under lights; cooling only marginally through the innings |
| Humidity | 25–35% — low to moderate; typical of a dry Lucknow late-May evening |
| Wind Speed | 10–14 km/h (light northwesterly breeze) |
| Rain Probability | 0% — completely clear Lucknow skies; no precipitation forecast whatsoever; a full 40-over contest is absolutely confirmed |
| Sky Condition | Clear; bright, warm evening under lights |
| Dew Factor | Moderate — despite relatively low humidity, Ekana evening matches consistently produce dew formation from the 12th to 14th over of the second innings; ball becomes slippery, reducing spin effectiveness in the death overs; chasing teams benefit in the back five overs |
| Match Interruption Risk | Very Low |
Pitch Report — Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
| Pitch Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Pitch Type | Slow and Spin-Friendly (mixed-soil pitch No. 5 in use for this fixture; large ground dimensions mean timing and placement are more valuable than raw power; spinners grip from the 7th over as the surface slows through the innings) |
| Avg 1st Innings Score (IPL 2026) | 169 runs across all Ekana games this season — the lowest first-innings average of any active IPL 2026 venue; this is a dramatic contrast from high-scoring venues like Mullanpur (avg 211) or Uppal (avg 201); PBKS’s power-hitting identity built around Mullanpur must adapt entirely for Ekana’s slower, lower-scoring conditions |
| Boundary Length | Large — Straight: 74m+, Square: 68–72m; combined with the slow surface, the large Ekana outfield means even well-struck shots do not always reach the boundary; big hitters must work significantly harder here than at compact venues |
| Toss Decision | Bowl first — chasing teams have won 6 of the last 10 completed matches at Ekana; dew from the 12th to 14th over of the second innings makes the back five overs easier for batting; teams batting second also benefit from the surface playing slower and lower in the first innings as moisture dries out under lights |
| Pace Assist | Good in the powerplay — 43°C daytime heat creates a bone-dry surface with some extra pace and carry in the first three overs; Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, Lockie Ferguson, and Mayank Yadav are all key new-ball threats; Arshdeep dismissed Mitchell Marsh for a golden duck at this exact ground in IPL 2025 with an away-seamer that defeated his outside edge |
| Spin Assist | Significant in the middle overs (overs 7 to 16) — the Ekana mixed-soil surface slows and grips from the 7th over onward; Yuzvendra Chahal and Harpreet Brar are PBKS’s most critical picks on this surface; Shahbaz Ahmed and Digvesh Rathi serve the same function for LSG; Rishabh Pant has an historical weakness against quality leg-spin and Chahal’s record against him makes this the most important individual bowling matchup in the fixture |
| Dew Effect | Moderate from the 12th to 14th over of the second innings — less severe than at humid coastal venues like Chepauk or Eden Gardens; ball becomes mildly slippery and spinners lose some effectiveness; seamers benefit marginally from the extra skid; chasing teams win 6 of the last 10 at Ekana largely due to the structural advantage of the surface playing easier in the second innings as it dries under lights rather than heavy dew alone |
LSG vs PBKS Dream11 Team
LSG vs PBKS Head-to-Head
| Matches | LSG Wins | PBKS Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 3 | 4 |
Suggested Reads:
Key Players to Watch in LSG vs PBKS
| Player | Team | Role | Key Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Marsh | LSG | Batsman | Orange Cap number two in IPL 2026 with 563 runs at SR 163.18; scored 96 off 57 balls against RR in his last game; his aggressive powerplay opening batting on even a slow Ekana surface makes him the highest-ceiling and most consistent captain pick in this fixture |
| Arshdeep Singh | PBKS | Bowler | PBKS’s most reliable wicket-taker and their biggest match-winner in a must-win game; dismissed Mitchell Marsh for a golden duck at this exact Ekana venue in IPL 2025; his left-arm swing with the new ball in the powerplay is PBKS’s best chance to restrict LSG early and take the game-defining momentum |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | PBKS | Bowler | PBKS’s most dangerous spinner and the defining bowler on a slow, spin-gripping Ekana surface; Rishabh Pant has a historical weakness against quality leg-spin; Chahal’s wrist-spin variations in overs 8 to 15 are the key wicket-taking weapon for PBKS in the crucial middle phase of the match |
| Cooper Connolly | PBKS | Batsman | The only PBKS batter to maintain consistent form throughout the 6-match losing streak; has 415-plus runs at avg 51.87 this season; his aggressive yet calculated opening game on a slow Ekana surface that demands placement over power makes him the standout batting VC pick from PBKS |
| Mayank Yadav | LSG | Bowler | LSG’s most dangerous and exciting pace bowler who regularly clocks above 150 km/h; the extreme 43°C daytime heat at Lucknow creates a hard, skiddy surface in the powerplay that amplifies his raw pace and allows his deliveries to burst through even well-set batters before the surface slows in the middle overs |
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