IPL 2026 Today's Match: RCB vs LSG playing 11, batters vs bowlers matchups

Rishabh Pant-led LSG will be hoping to break into the top four in the points table with a win over defending champions RCB in Bengaluru

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will aim to reclaim the top spot when they take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Match 23 of IPL 2026 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium tonight. RCB skipper Rajat Patidar has won the toss and elected to bowl first tonight.  RCB have looked a well-rounded unit this season, with only a minor blip against Rajasthan Royals interrupting an otherwise dominant run. Their opening duo of Phil Salt and Virat Kohli has provided consistent starts, while Devdutt Padikkal and skipper Rajat Patidar have ensured stability in the middle order.

 

Their bowling attack has complemented the batting perfectly, with both pacers and spinners stepping up at crucial moments.

 

LSG, meanwhile, have impressed with the ball but continue to struggle with the bat. They remain the only team yet to breach the 200-run mark this season, highlighting their top-order inconsistency. Addressing that concern will be key if they are to challenge a confident RCB side in Bengaluru.

 

But before the two sides finally take the ground, let’s take a look at the captaincy record of both skippers, their expected playing 11 combinations, and key player match-ups for the game. 

Rajat Patidar’s captaincy record in IPL (RCB)

• Matches: 20
• Wins: 14
• Losses: 6
• N/R: 0
• Win percentage: 70%

Rishabh Pant's captaincy record in IPL (LSG)

• Matches: 61
• Wins: 31
• Losses: 29
• N/R: 1
• Win percentage: 51.66%

IPL 2026: RCB playing 11 vs LSG

Royal Challengers Bengaluru head into this clash riding on the most destructive batting unit of IPL 2026. Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Tim David and Devdutt Padikkal have powered them to four 200-plus totals, combining brute force with elite strike rates. Their aggressive approach has yielded 52 sixes already, the most this season.

 

However, the bowling unit remains a work in progress. Josh Hazlewood is returning to rhythm, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Krunal Pandya must deliver consistency. Support from Suyash Sharma and Rasikh Salam will be crucial.

 

Royal Challengers Bengaluru playing 11: Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar

 

RCB squad for IPL 2026:

 

Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Abhinandan Singh, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan, Satvik Deswal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

IPL 2026: LSG playing 11 vs RCB

Lucknow Super Giants face a critical test as their underperforming batting unit looks to click. Skipper Rishabh Pant has struggled for fluency, while experienced names like Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran have yet to fire consistently. Youngsters Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad also need to step up.

 

On the positive side, their bowling has kept them competitive. Mohammed Shami has been exceptionally economical, supported by Prince Yadav and Digvesh Rathi. However, they must be precise throughout against RCB’s explosive batting line-up on a flat Bengaluru pitch.

 

 

Lucknow Super Giants playing 11: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Prince Yadav

 

Impact players: M Siddharth, George Linde, Shahbaz Ahmad, Mayank Yadav, Matthew Breetzke

 

LSG squad for IPL 2026:

 

Rishabh Pant, Ayush Badoni, Matthew Breetzke, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Arshin Kulkarni, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Maharaj Singh, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Arjun Sachin Tendulkar, Mayank Prabhu Yadav, George Linde, Anrich Nortje, Josh Inglis, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, Naman Tiwari, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Mohsin Khan, Manimaran Siddharth, Mukul Chaudhary

IPL 2026: RCB vs LSG key player battles

RCB batters vs LSG bowlers

 

Batter	Bowler	Format	Innings	Runs	Outs	Strike Rate
Virat Kohli	Anrich Nortje	T20s	9	41	2	98
Virat Kohli	Mohammed Shami	IPL	12	107	5	139
Virat Kohli	Avesh Khan	IPL	7	75	3	170
Devdutt Padikkal	Anrich Nortje	IPL	4	17	3	155
Tim David	Anrich Nortje	T20s	5	23	2	135
Jitesh Sharma	Mayank Yadav	T20s	2	15	2	107
Jitesh Sharma	Avesh Khan	T20s	4	19	2	106
Krunal Pandya	Mohammed Shami	IPL	5	24	3	126

 

LSG batters vs RCB bowlers

 

Batter	Bowler	Format	Innings	Runs	Outs	Strike Rate
Mitchell Marsh	Jacob Duffy	T20s	3	38	0	173
Aiden Markram	Josh Hazlewood	T20s	5	39	2	144
Aiden Markram	Krunal Pandya	IPL	4	4	3	50
Aiden Markram	Romario Shepherd	T20s	9	84	4	150
Nicholas Pooran	Josh Hazlewood	T20s	5	11	1	100
Nicholas Pooran	Bhuvneshwar Kumar	T20s	10	74	2	142
Nicholas Pooran	Krunal Pandya	T20s	5	37	1	137
Nicholas Pooran	Romario Shepherd	T20s	10	59	2	120
Rishabh Pant	Josh Hazlewood	T20s	5	29	0	121
Rishabh Pant	Bhuvneshwar Kumar	IPL	9	120	1	222
Rishabh Pant	Krunal Pandya	IPL	12	80	3	174
Ayush Badoni	Josh Hazlewood	IPL	2	3	2	33

 

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