LSG vs KKR preview: Lucknow, Kolkata have everything at stake; check head-to-head, pitch report, more

Lucknow Super Giants host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Ekana International Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday, 26 April, at 7:30 PM IST in Match 38 of IPL 2026.

LSG are at a crucial juncture. After 4 consecutive losses, every match from here is a must-win for them. The same goes for Kolkata. Lucknow are ranked 9th while KKR are 10th.

Lucknow have won 2 out of 7 matches so far and have a Net Run Rat eof -1.277. With an NRR of -0.879, KKR have 3 points, with just 1 win and 1 washed-out game.

Match Logistics

The game is at the Ekana International Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, on Sunday, 26 April, at 7:30 PM IST, with the toss at 7 PM IST. The match will be broadcast live on Star Sports and streamed on JioHotstar.

Head-to-Head Record

KKR and LSG have faced each other 7 times in the IPL. LSG hold a commanding advantage with 5 wins to KKR's 2. KKR's highest team total in this fixture stands at 235. Their lowest score against LSG is 101. LSG's best total against KKR is 238, and their lowest is 137.

LSG have dominated this rivalry from the very beginning in 2022. They won both matches that season by 75 runs and 2 runs respectively. KKR fought back strongly in 2024, winning by 8 wickets and 98 runs. However, LSG reclaimed the upper hand in 2025 and again in 2026.

Mukul Choudhary's 54* off 27 balls pulled off a miracle against Kolkata earlier in IPL 2026. Kolkata lost the match on the final ball.

Quinton de Kock leads all run-scorers in this fixture with 228 runs. Nicholas Pooran has smashed a remarkable 19 sixes in just 5 innings.

Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana and Andre Russell lead KKR's bowling with 6 wickets each. Avesh Khan holds the best bowling figures in this rivalry with 3/19.

̌Predicted Playing XI

Lucknow Super Giants: Mitchell Marsh, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Himmat Singh, Mukul Choudhary, Mohammed Shami, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav (Impact Player)

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Kartik Tyagi, Matheesha Pathirana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora (Impact Player)

Team News

South African pacer Anrich Nortje is unavailable for today's match. He has flown home for the birth of his twins. LSG have recently fielded only three overseas players in their XI.

With batting struggles continuing, Matthew Breetzke could feature as an Impact Player. Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav and Mohsin Khan remain the core bowling unit. Mohsin Khan currently leads the entire league in maiden overs bowled.

The Ekana pitch typically favours spinners. M Siddharth and Digvesh Rathi are both expected to play important roles today.

Matheesha Pathirana has fully recovered from injury and is available for selection. His return gives KKR a major boost in death bowling. To accommodate Pathirana, Tim Seifert may be dropped from the XI.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi is likely to take over wicketkeeping duties in that scenario. Sunil Narine will lead the spin attack alongside Varun Chakaravarthy. Cameron Green has been cleared to bowl his full quota of overs.

Key Players to Watch

Mitchell Marsh is LSG's most consistent batter this season with 210 runs. He has already scored a fifty on this tricky Ekana surface. Prince Yadav is second in the Purple Cap race with 13 wickets. His accuracy at the death makes him LSG's primary bowling threat.

Rishabh Pant has managed 147 runs but remains a dangerous middle-order force. He will be desperate to fire and keep LSG's playoff hopes alive.

Matheesha Pathirana is available after recovering from a leg injury. His slingy action and yorkers are perfectly suited to Ekana's death overs.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi leads KKR's batting with 210 runs this season. He is expected to take over wicketkeeping duties today.

Sunil Narine recently reached 200 T20 wickets in India. His economy of 6.83 makes him devastating on this spin-friendly surface.

Varun Chakaravarthy has dismissed Rishabh Pant 3 times in 6 IPL innings. Prince Yadav faces Ajinkya Rahane, who is under pressure after back-to-back ducks. Nicholas Pooran has a poor record against Pathirana, scoring at only 116 strike rate.

Pitch and Conditions

The Ekana Cricket Stadium offers a black-soil pitch that is traditionally slow. The surface is two-paced, making aggressive stroke-play particularly challenging for batters.

Low bounce and significant grip will heavily assist spinners like Narine and Chakaravarthy. Pacers may find some zip with the new ball under lights. However, the pitch becomes tacky in the middle overs, slowing the game.

The average first-innings score at Ekana in IPL 2026 is just 155. A total between 165 and 175 is considered highly competitive here. Teams winning the toss are highly likely to bowl first tonight.

Chasing sides have won around 60% of matches at this venue recently. Heavy dew in the second innings makes the ball difficult to grip.

In 25 IPL matches here, 14 have been won batting second. Rishabh Pant holds the ground's highest individual score of 118 not out. KKR hold the highest team total at this venue, 235/6.

The weather will be clear and hot throughout the evening. Temperatures will be around 34°C at the 7:30 PM start.

Here are two teams with everything at stake. There’s no room for error. Expect intensity from the first ball.