Rajasthan Royals secured a dominant 40-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants in their IPL 2026 encounter at Lucknow on Wednesday. The win marked RR’s return to form, while LSG extended their losing streak to four matches this season. After choosing to field first, LSG’s bowling attack led by Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav, and Mohsin Khan claimed two scalps each, limiting Rajasthan to 159 for six. Ravindra Jadeja emerged as RR’s top contributor with an unbeaten 43 from 29 deliveries. In pursuit of 160, LSG crumbled to 119 all out in just 18 overs. Jofra Archer spearheaded RR’s bowling effort with impressive figures of 3/20. Jadeja stars as RR wins tight contest against LSG .
TOSS
Lucknow Super Giants won the coin flip and elected to bowl first.
PLAYING XI
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI):
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi, Brijesh Sharma, Nandre Burger
Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI):
Mitchell Marsh, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Mukul Choudhary, Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Mayank Yadav
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had raced to 8 runs from just three deliveries before finding himself helplessly watching from the non-striker’s end as Mohammed Shami wreaked havoc. The veteran pacer dismissed both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel on consecutive balls. A subsequent over from Mohsin Khan brought five scoreless deliveries, intensifying the pressure on the young batsman. The mounting tension finally proved too much for the teenager. Digvesh Rathi’s spectacular running catch also played a crucial role, reducing the Royals to 32/3 after four overs with their explosive top-order failing to make an impact.
Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer steadied the ship with a measured 30-run partnership for the fourth wicket at exactly a run per ball. However, it was Jadeja who became the innings’ backbone through two vital partnerships that lifted the total beyond 150. He combined with Donovan Ferreira for 33 runs, with Ferreira chipping in a valuable 20 from 19 balls. Later, Jadeja formed an unbroken 49-run alliance for the seventh wicket with Impact Sub Shivam Dubey (19* from 11) in merely 25 balls. This final flourish enabled RR to capitalize on the death overs, as the duo plundered 32 runs from the last two overs. Jadeja specifically targeted an already costly Mayank Yadav during the final over.
LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS
Mitchell Marsh announced his arrival with two clean boundaries off Archer’s bowling, yet wickets kept falling at the opposite end. A communication breakdown in the middle resulted in Ayush Badoni’s dismissal during the first over. Nandre Burger then trapped Rishabh Pant behind the stumps for a three-ball duck in a tight second over that produced only one run. Aiden Markram became LSG’s third batsman to register a duck, deceived by additional bounce and top-edging Archer to the retreating wicketkeeper. At 31/3 following the Powerplay, LSG had already fallen behind both RR’s pace and the asking rate.
Marsh’s half-century provided stability following the initial breakdown. He built a 43-run partnership with Nicholas Pooran (22 from 25) and another 37-run stand with Himmat Singh (15 from 15), helping both players find their rhythm. Nevertheless, RR’s spin bowlers maintained pressure, blocking any genuine momentum. Marsh completed his fifty in 39 balls, celebrating with a six off Burger to announce the final phase, but departed immediately afterward, handing RR a vital wicket.
Burger’s strike proved decisive as he returned to dismiss Mukul Choudhary before cleaning up Shami two deliveries later in the same over. With LSG struggling at 113/8, RR had seized complete command. Archer finished off the remaining batsmen, confirming a comprehensive 40-run triumph while improving his team’s net run rate.
Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 159/6 in 20 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 43* from 29, Yashasvi Jaiswal 22 from 12; Mohsin Khan 2-17, Prince Yadav 2-29, Mohd. Shami 2-30) defeated Lucknow Super Giants 119 all out in 18 overs (Mitchell Marsh 55 from 41; Jofra Archer 3-20, Nandre Burger 2-27, Ravindra Jadeja 1-29) by 40 runs.
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