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The excitement of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 continues as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) take on Delhi Capitals (DC) in Match 5 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. Scheduled for April 1 at 7:30 pm IST, this fixture marks the season opener for both teams, adding extra intensity to an already high-pressure contest.
All eyes will be on Rishabh Pant, who returns after a disappointing 2025 campaign where LSG failed to make the playoffs. Meanwhile, Axar Patel steps in as DC’s full-time captain, leading a refreshed squad that narrowly missed qualification last season. Adding more intrigue, Pant faces his former franchise, while KL Rahul goes up against a team he once led.
DC will begin their campaign without star pacer Mitchell Starc, who is sidelined with shoulder and elbow injuries. In his absence, Lungi Ngidi and Dushmantha Chameera will spearhead the pace attack, while the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel will be crucial in the middle overs.
For LSG, Aiden Markram enters the tournament in red-hot form, boasting an impressive strike rate in recent T20 competitions. In-form pacer Auqib Nabi Dar could prove to be the game-changer, with his swing capable of unsettling even the strongest batting line-ups early on.
LSG vs DC: Probable playing XI of both teams
Lucknow Super Giants: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Arjun Tendulkar, Abdul Samad, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi, Dushmantha Chameera, Mohammed Shami
Impact Player options: Shahbaz Ahmed/ Mayank Yadav
Delhi Capitals: Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (c), Auqib Nabi Dar, Vipraj Nigam, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mukesh Kumar
Impact Player options: Ashutosh Sharma/ T Natarajan
IPL Stats and Records at Ekana Cricket Stadium
- Matches Played: 22
- Matches Won Batting First: 9
- Matches Won Batting Second: 12
- Matches Won Winning Toss: 14
- Matches Won Losing Toss: 7
- Matches with No Result: 1
- Highest Individual Score: 118* by Rishabh Pant (Lucknow Super Giants) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- Best Bowling Figures: 5/14 by Mark Wood (Lucknow Super Giants) vs Delhi Capitals
- Highest Team Total: 235/6 (Kolkata Knight Riders) vs Lucknow Super Giants
- Lowest Team Total: 108 (Lucknow Super Giants) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- Highest Run Chase: 177/2 (Punjab Kings) vs Lucknow Super Giants
Also READ: From Mayanti Langer to Sahiba Bali: Complete list of star presenters for IPL 2026
