The 68th match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 features Lucknow Super Giants facing off against the Punjab Kings at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on May 23. With the Lucknow Super Giants already eliminated from the tournament, their aim will be to disrupt Punjab Kings’ efforts to secure a place in the knockout stages.
Punjab Kings find themselves on the brink of elimination as well. Their path to the playoffs hinges on a victory in this match and a loss for the Rajasthan Royals in their next outing. Even if Punjab Kings win their match against Lucknow, they will still face elimination if the Rajasthan Royals win, as the latter would then secure fourth place in the standings. Consequently, this match is essential for Punjab Kings, and it remains to be seen if they can turn their fortunes around.
The pitch at Ekana Stadium is known to be slow, offering spinners some assistance. Batters are encouraged to exercise patience, especially in the early overs. Teams opting to bowl first and limiting the batting side to a modest total may find success.
Squads:
Lucknow Super Giants: Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh, Rishabh Pant (c), Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshin Kulkarni, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Akash Singh, Mohammed Shami, Arjun Tendulkar, Wanindu Hasaranga, Anrich Nortje, Mukul Choudhary, Naman Tiwari, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis.
Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer, Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Pannu, Suryansh Shedge, Mitchell Owen, Xavier Bartlett, Lockie Ferguson, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Vishnu Vinod, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Pravin Dubey, Vishal Nishad.
