Lucknow Super Giants vs Rajasthan Royals, Match 32 Match Summary

All set for El Clasico! The table might say anything. These two might be in contention for the next round, or maybe not. But not one soul cares. When one 5-time champion plays, it is a big deal. But when two 5-time champions play, then it is a blockbuster. It is like King Kong and Godzilla clashing and bringing the earth to a standstill. So whatever work you are doing, please make sure that you wrap it up before 7.30 pm IST as that will be the time when the first ball of the Mumbai Indians-Chennai Super Kings clash will be bowled at the Wankhede on Thursday, 23rd April, 2026. And the good thing is, we shall have this clash twice this season (at least). Thanks for tuning in. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

The smile is back - After being pensive for the last couple of games, the RR management looks relaxed once again. They have leapt to second spot and would like to take this momentum into their next match against the high-flying Sunrisers Hyderabad as they begin their Jaipur leg of IPL 2026 on Saturday, 25th April, 2026.

Getting into a rut - Well, the Lucknow Super Giants are getting into a big hole. With 4 losses in their last 4 games, they are quickly slipping down from the path to the playoffs. They somehow need to fix their issues before their next match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, 26th April, 2026, at this same venue. They don't have to travel, so they can make use of this rest to introspect.

Was looking to bowl slow - For his allround display of an unbeaten 43 (29) with the bat and a frugal 1/29 with the ball, RAVINDRA JADEJA HAS BEEN ADJUDGED THE PLAYER OF THE MATCH. First up, the 'Rockstar', as called by Murali Kartik at the presentation ceremony, says that he would like to dedicate this award to the education minister of Gujarat, (actually his wife, Rivaba Jadeja), because a day before she had predicted that Jadeja would do wonders on this day. Kartik then asks what does he tell himself when he comes out to bat at a tricky position - To this, Jadeja replies saying that the wicket was not easy to bat on when he came to the middle, as the ball was seaming and swinging. So, he adds that he told himself to bat deeper and that's exactly what he was telling the new batters coming in as well, as you never know what can happen. Further says that batting deep helped them get 20 runs from the last over and that changed the game. On his mindset in the 20th over, while facing Mayank Yadav, Ravindra says that given that Mayank was returning from injury, he knew that it will not be easy to bowl with pace. So, he took that into account but also just backed himself, additionally telling his partner to play shots. Stresses that the ball was seaming a lot and batting was very difficult. Murali then quips that usually, Jadeja fires it in but in this match, he was bowling slower through the air. On being asked the reason, RJ says that the ball was gripping. So he was thinking whether he should bowl quicker or slower. Adds that he bowled a few slow balls and then realized that he might get some hold off the deck. The final question is about his bowling to Mitchell Marsh, where Kartik observes that Jadeja was trying to keep the ball well outside off. To this, Ravindra Jadeja replies that whenever he was bowling to Marsh, the mid-wicket was shorter at that side, so he thought that Marsh would target him in that area. Hence, he was just mixing things up, with both, lengths and pace.

We have got to be better - The victorious skipper of Rajasthan Royals, RIYAN PARAG, is visibly pleased with the win. However, he also feels that this side was short with the bat. He believes the batters should have got them to 180, and mentions that even during his partnership with Shimron Hetmyer, they felt they could have pushed for more. About the batting approach, Parag explains that the team assesses the surface as quickly as possible and bats accordingly. He says if it is flat, the batters keep going, and adds that the top order sets the tone, with the middle order not needing to do anything differently. On being asked about the pace attack, Parag says he feels blessed as a captain to have both Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger leading the charge upfront and doing a commendable job. Says for them to bowl 3-3 overs each in the Powerplay just shows how well they were bowling. He adds that while the wicket offered something to the seamers, the team knew the ball would swing in the second innings and feels the way they bowled and fielded was impressive. On being asked about the trend of starting well and losing out in the later stages, Parag says the messaging within the group has been very positive. He shares that he has been going through something personally and says everyone has been understanding and supportive. He signs off saying that if he goes out to bat tomorrow, it is not about personal numbers but about what the team needs, and if they want him to strike at 200 from ball one, he will do exactly that.

Keep it as simple as possible - Rajasthan Royals' NANDRE BURGER is up for a chat next. He is happy to get back to winning ways. Says that it is always great bowling alongside Jofra Archer. Observes that his batters were probably not quite upto the mark but quickly adds that they will fix it soon. On his bowling plans for this strip, Burger replies saying that the wicket looked like it had a mahogany tint, so he was sure that the ball will grip. Hence, he just tried to change his pace a little bit. Burger is then asked what sort of talks do he and RR's Fast Bowling Coach Shane Bond have, to which, the answer is to try to keep it as simple as possible. Adds that as a bowling group, they try to find the hardest ball to hit on that day and keep trying to hit that length as many times as possible. Daren Ganga then reminds him cheekily that in an earlier chat, Burger had expressed his wish to bowl the 19th and 20th overs. To whether bowling in the 16th over in this match fulfilled his wishes or not, Nandre sportingly replies that whenever his captain calls him to bowl, he will be always ready to try and get the team to victory, before flashing a big smile on being told by Simon Doull that Ganga was just putting him on the spot.

Batting is letting us down - The captain of Lucknow Super Giants, RISHABH PANT, is up for a chat with the on-air commentators first. The first question asked is where did things go wrong. To this Pant admits that it is pretty difficult to explain and accepts that their batting is letting them down. He says the team is disappointed but insists they need to find answers from within rather than looking elsewhere. On being asked about the top order's batting approach, Rishabh agrees that more time could have been taken in the middle overs but is unwilling to make excuses. He includes himself in saying he could have taken the chase deeper. He is all praise for the bowlers for stepping up, especially after a tough previous game, and calls on the batting group to step up and return the favour. On being asked to talk further about his bowling group, the skipper says the team wants to focus on the positives despite the disappointment. He reiterates that the answers have to come from within, and expresses confidence in the firepower LSG possess across both batting and bowling. He wraps up saying he believes the side can still turn things around.

Out of jail? Ummm... one might say so, for the Rajasthan Royals. They were down and out for the count, at 116/6 after 17 overs. But experience helped them with the bat as Ravindra Jadeja showed the value of spending time on this wicket. His crucial unbeaten 43 which included a 20-run assault in the 20th over on Mayank Yadav proved more than vital. LSG bowled their hearts out but the last 3 overs, or say, just that last over alone hurt them very badly. Unfortunately for them, while Jofra shone for RR, Mayank had a very bad day at the office.

Poor batting effort - Former Indian Wall number 2, Cheteshwar Pujara, has no words minced as he openly calls this a poor batting effort by LSG on air. He bluntly says that 160 was definitely chaseable on this track and the Super Giants just needed to bat smartly, keeping wickets in hand. The first three wickets were literally gifted and even though there were a couple of partnerships from there on, the Giants could never catch up. Also, the batting scorecard sees just three batters in double digits, with 4 of the remaining 7 batters being dismissed for ducks. Mitchell Marsh fought a lone battle, gritting out for his 55, but it is sad to note that no one else crossed even 25.

Back to winning ways - In a clash between two good bowling attacks, the side with a better batting lineup emerged victorious. Both teams were at a similar stage near the 16th over. But RR's batting depth and also, that tactical call to bring in Shubham Dubey as an impact batter, worked wonders. It could have gone either way, with Parag forced to use only 4 proper bowlers with Brijesh Sharma yet to prove himself in this season. Luckily for them, it paid off. The RR bowlers made full use of the Powerplay, with the steam of Archer and Burger knocking off 3 wickets in the first 17 balls. After that, though they struggled to keep picking up wickets for a while, they ensured that they did not leak too many boundaries and the required rate was always under check. Jofra Archer was the leading wicket taker with 3 wickets but it would be unfair to call him the pick of the bowlers alone. Everyone who bowled, including the least experienced Brijesh Sharma, applied pressure and all the 5 bowlers took a wicket at least.

How did this happen? Glum faces in the LSG dugout. Where did they lose this? They had the Royals at 116/6 at the end of the 17th over. Leaked 43 runs in the last 3 overs. That's roughly their margin of defeat. Despite the horror show with the bat in the first 3 overs, Mitchell Marsh kept fighting for them, taking them to 91/4 in the 15th over, needing 69 runs from 34 balls. They lost 6/28 in 22 balls. A difficult pill to digest.

OUT! BOWLED! That ends the story. The visitors have reigned supreme at the Ekana and RAJASTHAN ROYALS HAVE WON BY 40 RUNS. Mohsin kept on giving the invitation to Archer to target the stumps and on the third occasion, the bowler did not miss his target. This time, the ball is full and straight and Mohsin misses his drive. The ball goes through and crashes into the stumps. With this, JOFRA ARCHER HAS BECOME THE ALL-TIME LEADING WICKET TAKER FOR RAJASTHAN ROYALS. He became the leading wicket taker for RR in the IPL when he dismissed Mayank Yadav and with this last scalp, taken into account the Champions League as well, knocking Shane Watson off his perch.

Once again, Mohsin shows all his stumps, backing away to the leg side and gets followed. The line is full and outside leg and the batter drives it back to the bowler.

On a length, pretty straight, from around the wicket, Mohsin Khan backs away and pushes it towards mid off.

MOHSIN KHAN is the last batter in, replacing Mayank Yadav.

OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Stunning piece of glovework from Jurel. Good length on middle, and Mayank is all at sea. Stuck on the leg side, he prods tentatively, opens the face and looks to guide it away. The ball takes the outside edge and darts to the right of the keeper. Jurel reads it early, dives full stretch to his right and scoops it up one-handed in his right glove, barely off the ground. LSG are 119/9, needing 41 runs from 15 balls.

FOUR! Runs away through the gap! Fractionally fuller, around off. Mayank stays put and leg side of the ball, and cuts it late to the left of deep backward point for a boundary. Deep third, who is stationed a lot finer, stands no chance to cut it off.

Spot on bumper, on off. Digvesh arches back, opens the bat face and runs it to the left of deep third for a single.

Jofra Archer returns. 3-1-15-1 so far.

Slower ball, short in length outside off, Mayank looks to cut but is early into his shot. Gets a bottom edge back to the bowler. What a sensational over - W WD 1 W 1 0 0 - Brijesh's bowling figures read 3-0-18-2!

Full and outside off, pace off, Mayank Yadav looks to drive but gets an outside edge to short third.

Another fine yorker, around off, Digvesh Singh somehow manages to dig it out, eking an inside edge down to fine leg for a single.

This is ending all too quickly. DIGVESH SINGH walks in next, at number 10, replacing Mohammad Shami.

OUT! FLATTENS THE LEG STUMP! A ripper of a delivery from Sharma which puts RR in touching distance of a win. A ballistic yorker at 136.4 kph, angling into the leg stump. Shami stays rooted, looks to whip it over mid-wicket, but the bat comes down far too late. The ball sneaks past the inside edge and uproots the leg stump. Wicket number 2 from Brijesh Sharma. LSG are 113/8, needing 47 runs from 21 balls.

Short of a length outside off, angling in to Mayank Yadav, who rocks back and opens the face to run it down to deep third for a single.

WIDE! A little too straightish, short down leg. Mayank gets inside the line to leave.

The long tail is exposed now. Mayank Yadav walks in next, at number 9, replacing Mukul Choudhary.

OUT! CAUGHT SPECTACULARLY! Just the wicket RR needed. They will feel that this is their game to lose now with Mukul, the last threat also dismissed. A well-executed short delivery by Brijesh, on top of off and climbing further after pitching. Mukul Choudhary is tucked up for room to play the pull shot across the line, but gets it high on the bat and sliced towards extra cover. The ball dips on Riyan Parag but the skipper dives forward and scoops the ball just inches above the ground.

Brijesh Sharma is back on. 2-0-15-0 so far.

SIX! WINGS DEPLOYED! Where did that come from? The golf course, I guess. Plenty of cricketers play golf these days and this shot represented one of those clean swings. Burger goes pace off once again, landing it short, around middle, this time Shami is ready, waits for it and swings it cleanly over deep mid-wicket! 12 runs from the over but with the big wicket of Marsh as well. Nandre Burger ends with bowling figures of 4-0-27-2.