LSG vs DC: The fifth match of IPL 2026 will be played between Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals in the famous city of Lucknow. Both the teams could not make it to the playoffs last season, so this time they would like to start with a fresh start and victory.

In this match, most eyes will be on fast bowler Mayank Yadav, who is making a comeback after recovering from injury. Lucknow head coach Justin Langer has made it clear that Mayank is completely fit and will play from the beginning of the season. Mayank, who came into limelight by bowling at a speed of 150 km per hour in IPL 2024, was out for a long time due to injury.

Wanindu Hasaranga is not fit yet
Lucknow Super Giants have suffered a big setback in the first match of the season. Team’s all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga has not reached India yet and is yet to pass his fitness test. In his place, the team could give a chance to fast bowler Enrique Norkhia.

Lucknow’s batting depends on foreign players
Lucknow’s batting seems to be largely dependent on foreign players. Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran had scored more than 400 runs last season while the contribution of Indian batsmen was limited. In such a situation, the batting order of captain Rishabh Pant will also be important.

Delhi will miss Mitchell Starc
On the other hand, Delhi Capitals may also have to make some changes in their squad. Star bowler Mitchell Starc will not play in the initial matches due to injury. T Natarajan may get a chance in his place. Dushmanta Chameera can be included in the team as a foreign fast bowler.

Delhi’s middle order is very strong
The middle order of Delhi Capitals looks very strong, which includes Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel and David Miller. Everyone’s eyes will also be on Nitish Rana, who is in excellent form in the domestic tournament.

Head to head record of both teams
Talking about head-to-head record, Delhi has the upper hand. Delhi Capitals has so far won all four matches played against Lucknow, out of which two matches were held in Lucknow. In such a situation, LSG will aim to change this record.

What will be the nature of the pitch?
The match will be played at Ekana Stadium, Lucknow. Last time the average score here was 187. The weather is also expected to be clear and the temperature will be around 28 degrees Celsius.

Overall, this match is an opportunity for both the teams to get a strong start to the season, with everyone from young players to experienced stars to watch.

Probable playing-11 of both the teams
Lucknow Super Giants: 1 Mitchell Marsh*, 2 Aiden Markram*, 3 Nicholas Pooran*, 4 Rishabh Pant (captain, wk), 5 Ayush Badoni, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Akshat Raghuvanshi/Himmat Singh, 8 Shahbaz Ahmed, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Mayank Yadav, 11 Digvesh Rathi, 12 Enrique Norkhia.

Delhi Capitals: 1 KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), 2 Pathum Nissanka*, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Tristan Stubbs*, 5 Axar Patel (captain), 6 David Miller*, 7 Ashutosh Sharma, 8 Vipraj Nigam, 9 Auqib Nabi, 10 Dushmantha Chameera*, 11 Kuldeep Yadav, 12 T Natarajan.