LSG vs RR, IPL 2026: Spotlight on pacers as Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals aim to move on from defeats It is not often that bowlers, considered collateral damage in modern T20 cricket, supersede the batters in the battle of narratives.
When Lucknow Super Giants hosts Rajasthan Royals at the Ekana Cricket Ground on Wednesday, the pace batteries of the two teams will be in the spotlight. The conditions here lean heavily in favour of the quicks, who boast an economy rate of 7.35 and an average of 19.00 at the venue in this Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
The Super Giants attack, comprising Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav and Mohsin Khan, has been the most economical (7.94) in the PowerPlay, while the Royals, spearheaded by Jofra Archer, have been the most incisive (16 wickets) during this phase.
The similarities don’t end there. The Super Giants are on a three-match losing streak, while the Royals are coming off two consecutive defeats after a strong start to their campaign.
“It’s a case of struggling for a bit of rhythm. One or two guys can struggle; it is part of the game, but when it is the full batting line-up, the chances of that happening are quite slim,” LSG’s Aiden Markram admitted ahead of the match.
Rajasthan Royals had a strong start to the season but narrowly lost its last game to Kolkata Knight Riders.
| Photo Credit:
R.V. Moorthy
Rajasthan Royals had a strong start to the season but narrowly lost its last game to Kolkata Knight Riders.
| Photo Credit:
R.V. Moorthy
The collective failure of the Super Giants batters has resulted in none of them tallying 200 runs in the season. Against Punjab Kings, the team notched up its first score of 200 but only after conceding this season’s highest total of 254.
It was a contrasting loss for the Royals in their last game, where they pushed Kolkata Knight Riders close despite managing a middling 155 after opting to bat.
A lot of eager eyes will follow the intriguing matchup of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi against the ageing but resilient Shami. At the same time, misfiring skippers Rishabh Pant and Riyan Parag will seek a turnaround of form.
Published on Apr 21, 2026
#LSG #IPL #Spotlight #pacers #Lucknow #Super #Giants #Rajasthan #Royals #aim #move #defeats
It is not often that bowlers, considered collateral damage in modern T20 cricket, supersede the batters in the battle of narratives.
When Lucknow Super Giants hosts Rajasthan Royals at the Ekana Cricket Ground on Wednesday, the pace batteries of the two teams will be in the spotlight. The conditions here lean heavily in favour of the quicks, who boast an economy rate of 7.35 and an average of 19.00 at the venue in this Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
The Super Giants attack, comprising Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav and Mohsin Khan, has been the most economical (7.94) in the PowerPlay, while the Royals, spearheaded by Jofra Archer, have been the most incisive (16 wickets) during this phase.
The similarities don’t end there. The Super Giants are on a three-match losing streak, while the Royals are coming off two consecutive defeats after a strong start to their campaign.
“It’s a case of struggling for a bit of rhythm. One or two guys can struggle; it is part of the game, but when it is the full batting line-up, the chances of that happening are quite slim,” LSG’s Aiden Markram admitted ahead of the match.
Rajasthan Royals had a strong start to the season but narrowly lost its last game to Kolkata Knight Riders. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy
Rajasthan Royals had a strong start to the season but narrowly lost its last game to Kolkata Knight Riders. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy
The collective failure of the Super Giants batters has resulted in none of them tallying 200 runs in the season. Against Punjab Kings, the team notched up its first score of 200 but only after conceding this season’s highest total of 254.
It was a contrasting loss for the Royals in their last game, where they pushed Kolkata Knight Riders close despite managing a middling 155 after opting to bat.
A lot of eager eyes will follow the intriguing matchup of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi against the ageing but resilient Shami. At the same time, misfiring skippers Rishabh Pant and Riyan Parag will seek a turnaround of form.
Published on Apr 21, 2026
![Sooryavanshi ready for international cricket but must work on technique to become all-format batter: Sanjay Manjrekar Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has become a poster boy for Indian cricket after notable performances in the domestic circuit, the under-19s and in the IPL where he scored a record-breaking century in his debut season (2025) for the Rajasthan Royals.He has taken it one notch higher this term, already accumulating 246 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 236.54 including two fifties. With growing shouts over his inclusion in the Indian team, former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes he is ready to don the national team colours.“Looking at IPL as a platform, to stake a claim for the Indian T20 team and keeping an eye on his performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali as well, where he’s got a 100 [vs Maharashtra], I think he’s done enough. If somebody’s lighting up this stage with this performance, then he’s ready,” Manjrekar said on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast.However, he explained that his inclusion will not be straightforward due to the long list of openers waiting in the wings for India in the shortest format, including his RR teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal and Test skipper Shubman Gill.“He might be ready, but are the others ready to make way for it? Because there is a huge crowd to bat at number one and two for India currently,” he reasoned.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58JRdBRAbIk[/embed]The former Mumbai batter pointed out that the Bihar prodigy belongs to the new-age T20 batters, who have the knack of making space to hit the ball. However, he explained that a lot of work had to be done with his technique if he wishes to become an all-format cricketer.“Take all the consistent T20 batters in the last few years, Sooryavanshi will stay leg side and hit a ball on middle stump through point because he’s staying leg side of the ball. In Test cricket, the advice is to get close to the ball. You will not get 20 runs in England or Australia, South Africa by staying away from the ball,” he opined.He further added, “If you want your kid to be famous and rich, T20 batting is for you. If you want him to get the respect of people like us, the critics, then get him to get close to the line of the ball.”Published on Apr 21, 2026 #Sooryavanshi #ready #international #cricket #work #technique #allformat #batter #Sanjay #Manjrekar](https://i2.wp.com/ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/50lqfv/article70888348.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_1200/2150_19_4_2026_16_16_32_1_IPL_19042026_05.JPG?ssl=1 "Sooryavanshi ready for international cricket but must work on technique to become all-format batter: Sanjay Manjrekar Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has become a poster boy for Indian cricket after notable performances in the domestic circuit, the under-19s and in the IPL where he scored a record-breaking century in his debut season (2025) for the Rajasthan Royals.He has taken it one notch higher this term, already accumulating 246 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 236.54 including two fifties. With growing shouts over his inclusion in the Indian team, former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes he is ready to don the national team colours.“Looking at IPL as a platform, to stake a claim for the Indian T20 team and keeping an eye on his performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali as well, where he’s got a 100 [vs Maharashtra], I think he’s done enough. If somebody’s lighting up this stage with this performance, then he’s ready,” Manjrekar said on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast.However, he explained that his inclusion will not be straightforward due to the long list of openers waiting in the wings for India in the shortest format, including his RR teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal and Test skipper Shubman Gill.“He might be ready, but are the others ready to make way for it? Because there is a huge crowd to bat at number one and two for India currently,” he reasoned.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58JRdBRAbIk[/embed]The former Mumbai batter pointed out that the Bihar prodigy belongs to the new-age T20 batters, who have the knack of making space to hit the ball. However, he explained that a lot of work had to be done with his technique if he wishes to become an all-format cricketer.“Take all the consistent T20 batters in the last few years, Sooryavanshi will stay leg side and hit a ball on middle stump through point because he’s staying leg side of the ball. In Test cricket, the advice is to get close to the ball. You will not get 20 runs in England or Australia, South Africa by staying away from the ball,” he opined.He further added, “If you want your kid to be famous and rich, T20 batting is for you. If you want him to get the respect of people like us, the critics, then get him to get close to the line of the ball.”Published on Apr 21, 2026 #Sooryavanshi #ready #international #cricket #work #technique #allformat #batter #Sanjay #Manjrekar")
Post Comment