Arjun Tendulkar finally makes Lucknow Super Giants debut in IPL 2026 during LSG vs PBKS; Punjab Kings fight for survival

Arjun Tendulkar finally made his Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after left-arm bowler was named in the playing XI against Punjab Kings at the Ekana Stadium on Saturday. Having spent his time with Mumbai Indians from 2021 till 2025, the son of legendary Sachin Tendulkar, Arjun was traded to LSG just before the auction last year.

LSG have already been eliminated from the playoffs race with just four wins from 13 games. On the other hand, Punjab Kings need to win against LSG to stay alive in the race for a last four finish. Led by Shreyas Iyer, Punjab Kings started with a winning streak in their first seven games. However, six consecutive losses post that have left them in this position.

“We have two changes. Arjun (Tendulkar) comes in and Arshin (Kulkarni) come in,” LSG captain Rishabh Pant said during the coin toss. Meanwhile, Punjab Kings have opted to bowl first after Iyer won the toss. It is also the first time Arjun is playing an IPL game after 2024.

Punjab Kings also made two changes in their playing XI. “We're going to bowl first. We've got two changes, Marco (Jansen) and Vyshak (Vijaykumar) come in,” Iyer said. Speaking on their do-or-die situation, Iyer said they are looking forward to the challenge. “It is suddenly exciting,” he said.

“It's like a do or die game for us. I would say rather do. So it's looking forward to the challenge. Never been in this situation before, as in the league table. But the boys are super excited. They're eagerly waiting to see how it turns out at the end of the day,” he added.

Arjun Tendulkar in IPL

Arjun got his first IPL contract with Mumbai Indians when he was bought for ₹20 lakh in the auction. However, an injury ruled the left-hander all-rounder out of the tournament that season. The five-time champions once again bought Arjun in 2022 for ₹30 lakh.

Although he didn't play a single game in IPL 2022, Arjun finally made his IPL debut against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2023. His maiden IPL wicket was then Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Having been retained for the next season, Arjun got just a single game in IPL 2024 and was traded to LSG for his existing fee of R 30 lakh ahead of the 2026 season. Overall, Arjun has taken three wickets in five games.

LSG vs PBKS playing XIs

Lucknow Super Giants: Josh Inglis, Arshin Kulkarni, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, Arjun Tendulkar, Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav, Mohsin Khan

Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh(w), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer(c), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

Catch the live updates from IPL 2026 with the complete IPL 2026 Schedule and the IPL 2026 Points Table. Also, know who are currently leading the charts in IPL 2026 Orange Cap and IPL 2026 Purple Cap.