🏏IPL 2026: PBKS vs LSG, 29th Match, at New Chandigarh 🏏

🏏IPL 2026: PBKS vs LSG, 29th Match, at New Chandigarh 🏏

Any doubts over the youthful exuberance of the Punjab Kings' near-fairytale run in IPL 2025 not spilling over into another season have disappeared into thin air. Granted that they are just five games into their campaign but the Kings have looked every bit the team to beat.

They have been regular with the trend of chasing and even targets that ought to have been challenging - 210 against CSK, 220 against SRH and more recently, 196 against MI - were usurped with minimal fuss. So much so that Marcus Stoinis and Shashank Singh have had little to nothing to do so far. At least with the bat in the latter's case, for he has brought the Midas touch to the fore with the ball.

Skipper Shreyas Iyer has not just been in complete control of his troops, but has also been a class apart in mastering a chase. The uber-aggressive Priyansh Arya-Prabhsimran Singh combination has only made his life easier, while different players have put their hand up with the ball. No storyline would have brought a bigger sense of relief than Arshdeep Singh cutting MI's top-order to size, after an ordinary start to the tournament.

The story is a lot different in Lucknow Super Giants' case, as they arrive fresh of a hammering at the hands of RCB. It's been yet another stop-start campaign for a franchise still in search of its identity. Yet for a team that had question marks prevailing over its bowling composition, it's their star-studded batting lineup that has flattered to deceive.

None of Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran have posted a fifty in five games, with Pooran in particular enduring a nightmare 2026 in the format. Mukul Choudhary and Ayush Badoni have been impressive, while Prince Yadav has emerged as a shining light in a bowling department devoid of sufficient options.

One team with question marks continuing to mount. Another that continues to grow imperious with each passing game. On balance, this ought to be a mismatch. Except, cricket - especially in the IPL - seldom plays out that way.

When: PBKS vs LSG, April 19 at 7:30 PM IST

Where: Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh

What to expect: A cloudy day with temperatures expected to cool in the evening. Contrasting totals of 162 and 219 have been chased down successfully this season, although this is a ground where getting ahead of the game in the Powerplay proves to be crucial.

Head to Head:

It stands at 3-3 after six faceoffs. PBKS won both matches against the Super Giants last year while Sunday's game will be the first between the two sides in New Chandigarh.

Punjab Kings

Injuries & Availability: Lockie Ferguson has still not joined the team. There is no other known injury or unavailability reported.

Tactics & Matchups: Arshdeep Singh has dismissed Aiden Markram 7 times (average 15.71) and Mitchell Marsh thrice (average 15) in T20s. Considering LSG's batting woes, PBKS will bank upon their lead pacer to set the game up with early breakthroughs again. The Super Giants have been the worst team against spin so far in IPL 2026 and that could prompt the Kings into playing Harpreet Brar, unless they opt to use Cooper Connolly's left-arm spin instead.

Probable XII: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Harpreet Brar/Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

Lucknow Super Giants

Injuries & Availability: Rishabh Pant retired hurt in the previous game with a blow to the elbow and while he returned to bat, he did not take the field with Pooran stepping in as captain. That said, Pant hit the nets a day out of the game - albeit with an elbow brace on - and it does point towards the injury potentially not being a major one. There is no update on Josh Inglis' arrival in India. Super Giants' Global Director of Cricket Tom Moody declared that both Mohsin Khan and Mayank Yadav were fit ahead of the RCB game.

Tactics & Matchups: There is a case for Pant to open the innings and break the Marsh-Markram duo from facing Arshdeep. LSG may want to hand Himmat Singh an opportunity, considering Abdul Samad's poor run of form in the middle-order.

Probable XII: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Himmat Singh, Mukul Choudhary, George Linde/Mayank Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Rathi

Did you know?

- Prabhsimran Singh was the POTM in both of PBKS' matches against LSG last season, with scores of 69 and 91.

- LSG are the most economical pace unit of IPL 2026 with an economy rate of 8.11.

- PBKS have won nine games out of 11 chasing since IPL 2025.

Big Picture: Can LSG test the PBKS middle order?

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have gone off the boil after a promising start, slipping into a two-match slide they'll be desperate to arrest. But the magnitude of that challenge couldn't be steeper as they take on table-toppers Punjab Kings, who are yet to drop a game.

LSG'S dip is best captured in their batting returns. Mukul Choudhary's 127 runs lead their run charts and 54 of those came in a match-winning effort against Kolkata Knight Riders. This underlines their batting struggles: LSG are the slowest-scoring side in the tournament (run rate 8.1), in stark contrast to PBKS, who are second-best (10.9).

Amid these batting struggles, it must be soothing that Rishabh Pant is fully fit after recovering from a blow on his left elbow in the previous match. Concerns were raised because Pant didn't keep wickets during LSG's bowling innings in Bengaluru.

PBKS have little to worry about on the batting front - their run rate of 11.5 is the second best in the powerplay. For this, they have Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya's rip-roaring form to thank. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyerhas already struck three half-centuries while striking at 197 through the middle overs (7-16).

Twice this season, they have walked home in 200-plus chases, while also making 196 look regulation in the previous game against Mumbai Indians. Shreyas has built on the foundation set by the openers in each of those games; in fact his 447 runs are the most in successful chases since IPL 2025.

The PBKS middle order hasn't quite been tested, which makes early inroads crucial for LSG. Encouragingly for them, the new-ball attack led by Mohammed Shami and Prince Yadav has been among the most effective in the powerplay.

This is yet another clash that could come down to LSG's bowling might needing to do the heavy lifting, but it's imperative their batters come good sooner than later to turn around their lacklustre start.

Team News

PBKS have a fully fit squad to choose from. They are unlikely to tinker with a combination that has delivered four wins.

Punjab Kings (starting XII): 1 Prabhsimran Singh (wk), 2 Priyansh Arya, 3 Cooper Connolly, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Xavier Bartlett, 9 Vijaykumar Vyshak, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal, 12 Nehal Wadhera

With Pant fit and available, LSG are unlikely to make changes to their combination. But Abdul Samad has struggled for form and rhythm, so there's a case for LSG to bring in Akshat Raghuwanshi, the MP batter.

Lucknow Super Giants (starting XII): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Rishabh Pant (capt), 4 Ayush Badoni, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Mukul Choudhary, 8 George Linde, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Prince Yadav, 12 Mayank Yadav/Digvesh Rathi

In the spotlight

After going wicketless in his first three games, while also conceding at 9.9, Arshdeep Singh bounced back superbly to dismiss Ryan Rickelton and Suryakumar Yadav off consecutive deliveries against MI. After struggling with his execution of the yorkers at the start of the tournament, there were signs of him returning to his dominating best, best illustrated by his dismissal of Sherfane Rutherford to deny MI a finishing kick, which ultimately proved to be decisive. This upturn comes just as he'll be up against two batters (Mitch Marsh and Aiden Markram) whom he has dismissed a combined 10 times across 25 T20s.

Tom Moody, LSG's global director, was blunt in his assessment of Abdul Samad. He felt Samad was no longer a "youngster" and, after six IPL seasons, should be delivering more even accounting for the demands of a finisher's role. Five games in, he has managed just 72 runs at an average of 14.40 and a strike rate of 111. Time may be running out for him. These numbers are inferior to his modest returns in 2024 and 2025, where he averaged 18.2 and 20.5 respectively.

Stats and trivia

• Five games in, the PBKS opening pair of Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh averages 48.5. LSG are the only team without a half-century opening stand so far.

• Arya's eight sixes are the second-best by a batter off his first 10 balls at IPL 2026. Rajat Patidar leads the race with 13 sixes.

• LSG's overall batting average of 19.8 is the lowest among all 10 teams this season.

• Nicholas Pooran's strike rate of 76 this IPL is the lowest among batters to have faced at least 50 balls.

Pitch and conditions

The match will be played on a surface that hasn't been used in any of the 13 previous games in New Chandigarh. But the neighbouring surfaces on which the playoffs were played last year played the polar opposites. PBKS were bundled out for 101 against RCB in Qualifier 1, while Mumbai Indians made 228 to beat Gujarat Titans in the Eliminator. Weather-wise, conditions are expected to be hot and dry, with a high of 37 degrees Celsius. Dew could be a factor.