Lucknow Super Giants will face Rajasthan Royals in the 36th game of the ongoing tournament on 19th April at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
Match Preview:
Rajasthan Royals are staring down a critical moment in their IPL 2025 campaign. With just two wins from seven games and three straight losses behind them, RR face Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday—possibly without their skipper Sanju Samson, who is battling a side strain.
Head coach Rahul Dravid confirmed that Samson had felt discomfort in his abdominal area and had undergone scans. “We’ll know more once we get clarity from the reports,” Dravid said, leaving Samson’s availability for Saturday—and potentially the rest of the season—up in the air.
The timing couldn’t be worse for Rajasthan. Their narrow Super Over loss to Delhi Capitals in the last match has pushed them down to eighth in the table, and the halfway point of the season has arrived with little momentum to show for it.
The Royals have struggled to put together a complete performance. Inconsistency has plagued both their batting and bowling. While Yashasvi Jaiswal seems to have hit form with consecutive fifties against RCB and DC, the rest of the top order has been shaky.
Samson, who had to retire hurt in the last game, has yet to make a big impact this season—his top score being 66 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. If he plays, RR will need him and Jaiswal to take the lead, especially against a disciplined LSG bowling attack featuring Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi, and Ravi Bishnoi.
The middle order has been underwhelming too. Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel haven’t delivered with the bat so far, and their contributions will be vital if Rajasthan are to post or chase down competitive totals.
With the season slipping away, RR need more than just effort they need execution. Whether or not Samson is fit, the rest of the squad will have to step up if they want to turn their campaign around.
Lucknow Super Giants may have lost their last outing to Chennai Super Kings, but they’re still in a solid position on the points table. With four wins from seven games, they sit fifth and remain firmly in the playoff race.
Their batting has been a standout this season. Nicholas Pooran has led the charge with 357 runs in seven games, making him the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament so far. Mitchell Marsh isn’t far behind either, sitting third on the charts with 295 runs from six matches. Together, they’ve been the backbone of LSG’s batting unit.
Aiden Markram has chipped in with valuable contributions too, while David Miller’s form has been a concern. The South African veteran has managed just 27 as his best score across seven games.
Despite a few hiccups, LSG have been consistent with the bat—crossing 200 three times and scoring over 160 in all other matches. Their top-order firepower has kept them competitive in almost every game.
There’s also some relief in the form of skipper Rishabh Pant, who finally showed signs of form with a 63 off 49 balls against CSK—his first fifty of the season, even if it came in a losing effort.
Bowling was LSG’s weak link early on, especially with injuries to key pacers. But they’ve started to find some rhythm thanks to patchy but important spells from Avesh Khan and Shardul Thakur.
One big potential boost could be the return of express pacer Mayank Yadav. He rejoined the squad after their last match, but the team is still waiting on a fitness clearance from the Centre of Excellence. Mayank has been out with recurring injuries, including a lower back stress fracture, and the team will be cautious about rushing him back.
All eyes will be on how LSG balance their firepower with their fitness concerns as they look to get back to winning ways.
Probable Playing XIIS:
Lucknow Super Giants (probable): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk) , 5 Ayush Badoni, 6 David Miller, 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Mayank Yadav, 11 Digvesh Rathi, 12 Ravi Bishnoi
Rajasthan Royals (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Sanju Samson (capt, wk)/Vaibhav Suryavanshi/Shubham Dubey, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Dhruv Jurel, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 Tushar Deshpande/Akash Madhwal, 12 Kumar Kartikeya
Head-to-head record:
Both of the teams have faced each other 5 times with Royals leading the charge by winning the 4 games while Lucknow only could register win in one outing.
Prediction:
Despite losing the last game, Lucknow ae favourite to win the game as they are more balanced side.
Where to Watch:
India: Star Sports Network, JioHotstar
Australia: Kayo TV, FoxTel Go
Bangladesh: T Sports, Toffee app
New Zealand: Sky Sports NZ
South Africa: SuperSport
Sri Lanka: Dialog
UK: Sky Sports, SkyGo
USA: Willow TV
Afghanistan: ATN
MENA: Cricbuzz
