Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant won the toss and chose to bowl against Chennai Super Kings, asking the visitors to bat on a “tacky” surface. Ruturaj Gaikwad, meanwhile, pointed to the red-soil track in Lucknow and suggested there was some moisture in it, even if the pitch was expected to grip.
Quick facts
- Captain Pant won the toss and elected to bowl vs CSK.
- CSK were forced into two changes after Jamie Overton’s injury ruled him out for the rest of the season.
- Spencer Johnson made a franchise debut for CSK; he is returning from a back injury and has not played competitive cricket since IPL 2025.
- Gurjapneet Singh is set to be CSK’s Impact Sub; Gaikwad ruled out Akeal Hosein at the toss.
- Prashant Veer is in CSK’s XI; if CSK win, they will move into the top four.
- LSG have no playoff hopes; Pant said the focus is on next season.
- Akash Singh plays his first match of the season for LSG against his former franchise.
- Abdul Samad and Mukul Choudhary return to the LSG XI; Himmat Singh and Akshat Raghuwanshi are dropped.
- Avesh Khan misses out as Mayank Yadav gets his third match of the season.
- Josh Inglis is not in the LSG bowl-first XI and is expected to come in as the Impact Player during the chase.
Overton’s injury has been a major blow for CSK, and the team responded by reshaping the XI. Spencer Johnson, an Australia left-arm fast bowler, received a franchise debut despite being away from competitive action since IPL 2025. He is working back from a back issue, but the conditions and squad needs have brought him into the starting mix.
CSK also signaled their Impact Sub plans early. Left-arm pace option Gurjapneet Singh is the likeliest candidate to feature from the bench later in the evening, while Gaikwad ruled out Akeal Hosein at the toss and confirmed Gurjapneet will be used as the Impact Sub. That decision sets up CSK’s bowling resources for the phases that matter most in Lucknow.
Prashant Veer, who had been CSK’s Impact Player in their last LSG meeting in Chennai, has earned a spot in the playing XI on Friday. He will play at his domestic home ground, giving CSK another local presence in their line-up.
Playoff pressure vs season-building
CSK enter the contest with something tangible on the line: a win would take them into the top four. LSG, conversely, are already out of playoff contention, and Pant made it clear the side is now looking to build for what comes next.
As part of that longer-term approach, LSG handed left-arm seamer Akash Singh his first appearance of the season against his former franchise. The middle order also gets two returns, with Abdul Samad and Mukul Choudhary brought back into the XI for this match.
There were also some notable exclusions. Himmat Singh and Akshat Raghuwanshi were left out of the squad, while Avesh Khan did not make the cut. Tearaway quick Mayank Yadav, on the other hand, comes into the XI for his third outing of the campaign.
On the LSG side, Josh Inglis is not part of the bowl-first group, but is expected to be introduced as the Impact Player when Lucknow begins their chase. The selection underscores Pant’s intent to keep flexibility for the batting innings.
CSK bat-first XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Sanju Samson (wk), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Anshul Kamboj, Spencer Johnson, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary
CSK Impact Subs bench: Gurjapneet Singh, Akeal Hosein, Sarfaraz Khan, Matthew Short, Matt Henry
LSG bowl-first XI: Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), Aiden Markram, Mukul Choudhary, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Mayank Yadav, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav
LSG Impact Subs bench: Josh Inglis, M Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Himmat Singh, Ayush Badoni
