Chennai Super Kings (CSK) observed a minute’s silence before the start of their IPL 2026 match at the Ekna Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Friday and wore black armbands in memory of those who lost their lives in the cyclone that hit Uttar Pradesh in the past few days.“Solidarity and remembrance. Today, we stand together in grief and remembrance, honoring the lives lost in the cyclones in Uttar Pradesh,” CSK’s official posted on X.Earlier, LSG captain Rishabh Pant won the toss and decided to bowl first against CSK.Follow Live Updates:A win for CSK will take them into the top four of the points table and improve their chances of qualifying for the playoffs. LSG are already out of the playoff race and are playing for pride in their remaining matches.LSG made three changes to their playing XI, adding Akash Singh, Abdul Samad and Mukul Chaudhary.After winning the toss, Pant said, “The wicket is looking a bit tough, so there was no need to just go out there and bat ourselves. As a team, we have a lot to achieve. We are a team, we go on confidence, and that’s what we’re looking forward to. We’re definitely trying a few things for next season. And just trying to give 200 percent no matter what.”“Obviously, there’s nothing to run away from the way we’ve played this season. But at the same time, there’s a lot of positives we can take because we’re a little disappointed as a team because we know we’ve got a team that’s done well.“We can get it done and sometimes things don’t go your way, but at the same time, there are no complaints from that side. We still have to play good cricket and try to improve ourselves every day.”CSK captain Rutoraj Gaikwad said Spencer Johnson will make his debut for the franchise in place of the injured Jamie Overton, while Gurjapaneet Singh replaced Akhil Hossain during the team’s bowling innings.“It’s an honor to wear the yellow jersey. It’s a venue where you have to bat and bowl well. It’s a bit humid to start with, but if we start well and get to 170-180, it will be a challenging total.”Teams:Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (w), Rutoraj Gaikwad (c), Arul Patel, Karthik Sharma, Devald Brews, Shivam Dubey, Prashant Vir, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmed, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Chaudhary.Lucknow Supergiants: Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (w/c), Mukul Chaudhary, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammad Shami, Mayank Yadav, Akash Maharaj Singh, Prince Yadav.
