The Rajasthan Royals rose to third on the points table with a victory over the Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2026. But why did LSG lose to RR?
Today’s game was Match 32 of IPL 2026. It was played at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, with the home team winning the toss and deciding to bowl first. This proved to be the correct decision immediately. RR lost quick wickets before stalling in the middle overs. It was only because of some power hitting in the death that they managed to reach a below-par total of 159/6 in 20 overs.
In response, the Royals dominated with the ball throughout. They took early wickets and took wickets in the middle overs. Suffocated the LSG batters of runs and dismissed the Super Giants for 119 runs in 18 overs, winning the match by 40 runs.
Here, we will discuss the three reasons why Rajasthan Royals beat Lucknow Super Giants in this game of IPL 2026.
Why Rajasthan Royals Beat Lucknow Super Giants
1) Runs Salvaged At The Death
For the third game in a row, RR’s batting performance tonight was sub-optimal. Yashasvi Jaiswal gave the team a decent start but was out in the third over for 22 off 12. Dhruv Jurel was dismissed on the very next ball for a golden duck. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made just eight off 11 before his wicket at the end of the fourth over.
The middle-order duo of Shimron Hetmyer and captain Riyan Parag tried to stabilise the innings but did not contribute much to the run tally. Parag was out in the ninth for 20 off 19, while Hetmyer departed in the 11th over for 22 off 18. And just like that, the Royals were reeling at 77/5 with less than 10 overs to go.
Ravindra Jadeja and Donovan Ferreira batted for five overs together, but before the 16th over ended, Ferreira got out for 20 off 19.
Rajasthan had to use its Impact sub early and bring in Shubham Dubey. He, along with Jadeja, was the last recognised batting pair in this team. But the two ensured that their side would at least finish strong.
At the end of the 17th over, the score was 116/6. 11 runs came off the 18th over by Digvesh Rathi, followed by 12 coming in the 19th. At this point, Dubey was batting well at 19 off 11, while Jadeja had made a run-a-ball 23.
The final over would allow the veteran all-rounder to open his arms. Jadeja hit two boundaries and a six to make 20 runs in the final over, bowled by Mayank Yadav. That means he finished his innings not out at 43 off 29, being RR’s highest run scorer for the night.
The Royals made 43 runs in the final three overs, taking their total, which would have otherwise struggled to reach 150, to 159 runs in 20 overs. This was still a low total, but it would allow them to fight for a win, which is exactly what RR did.
2) LSG Rattled In The Powerplay
The Lucknow Super Giants, while chasing a low target of 160 runs, did not get off to a positive start. While Mitchell Marsh hit Jofra Archer for a couple of fours in the first over, on the last ball of that over, the other opener, Ayush Badoni, was run out for a golden duck.
The second over, bowled by Nandre Burger, saw the South African concede only one run, bowl some absolute rippers, and then dismiss Lucknow captain Rishabh Pant for a duck. The skipper went to play a cross-batted shot but was instead caught behind by wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel.
Yet another duck would follow in the next over. Archer came back to bowl his second. He bowled a rapid delivery at 147 kmph. The short and quick ball, after catching the top edge, would go high up before being caught by Jurel. And just like that, the score was 11/3.
The pair of Marsh and Nicholas Pooran would avoid more wickets from falling in the powerplay, which ended with a score of 31/3.
LSG had gotten off to a worse start than the Rajasthan Royals, who also had conceded three wickets in the powerplay but made 44 runs. This means that the Super Giants would need to mount a comeback if they were to win this game.
3) An All-Round Bowling Performance By RR
All of the Rajasthan Royals had a fantastic day out in the field today. It was an all-around bowling performance that allowed them to win this low-scoring game with a massive margin of 40 runs.
As a reminder, RR used their Impact sub early today to bring in Shubham Dubey. While the move paid off, this meant that they would have to defend a low total with just five bowlers, meaning everyone had to play their part as they had nowhere to hide.
As discussed earlier, the first wicket to fall was actually a runout. However, following that, all the wickets to fall would see the bowlers deceive, trap, and dominate the batters.
Like how Nandre Burger would get the better of Rishabh Pant in the second over, getting him out for a duck. Similarly, Jofra Archer would trouble Aiden Markram, getting his wicket for a duck with a rapid bouncer.
Brijesh Sharma conceded some runs in his first over, but the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Bishnoi bowled economic first overs. However, till the 10th over, Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran had settled onto the crease.
The spinner had a brilliant plan for Pooran tonight, keeping the ball out of his reach and forcing him to play his shots with a fraction of his full strength. This move paid off in the 10th over, as Pooran, losing to get out of the rut he was in while batting at 22 off 24, looked to hit a six to Jadeja but skied the ball, which was caught at long-on.
Marsh was the only realistic threat for RR tonight. He went on to make a half-century in 39 deliveries while seeing wickets fall at the other end, like Himmat Singh, who was batting in the IPL for the first time. SIngh would be bowled by a quick googly by Ravi Bishnoi for a run-a-ball 15.
Soon after making his 50, Marsh would become Burger’s second wicket on the night. A ball out of his massive reach saw Marsh hit it with the toe, which was caught brilliantly by Riyan Parag at extra cover.
Then, in the 16th over, Brijesh Sharma returned to the attack and would immediately dismiss Lucknow Super Giants’ last recognised batter, Mukul Choudhary, who was caught at short cover for seven off three.
It should be noted that part of this dominant bowling performance was some fine fielding by the Royals. Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel would take some exceptional catches.
RR took care of the LSG tail with ease, bowling the team out for 119 runs in 18 overs. The Royals won this game by 40 runs.
All the Rajasthan bowlers had a great day with the ball. Archer was the pick of the bowlers. His four-over spell produced the figures of 3/20. Burger’s figures on the night were 2/27, while Jadeja conceded just 29 runs and took a wicket.
Bishnoi and Brijesh bowled three overs each. The former produced the figures of 1/23. While the latter took two wickets and gave away just 18 runs.
For his all-round performance, which saw him make 43 runs and take a wicket, Ravindra Jadeja was named the Player of the Match.
With this win, the Rajasthan Royals shoot up to second on the points table with five wins, two losses, 10 points, and a positive net run rate in seven games.
Meanwhile, the Lucknow Super Giants stay at ninth on the points table. In the seven games they have played, they have lost five and have won just two, netting them four points and the worst net run rate in the league.
Check Out: Why Rajasthan Royals Beat Lucknow Super Giants
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