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New Delhi: Lucknow Supergiants captain Rishabh Pant Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer apologized to fans of the franchise after winning the toss and opting to field in the 68th match of IPL 2026 at the Ekna Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday.Already out of the playoff race, LSG are just playing for pride in their final league match of the season, while Punjab Kings need a win to keep their qualification hopes alive. Talking about the toss, Pant said that LSG would also have preferred to bowl first and predicted a high-scoring contest.“We would have bowled first too. This wicket is good for cricket, whether bowling or batting. It is one of the best batting wickets; it could be a high-scoring match. There are two changes – Arjun and Arshin Kulkarni,” Pant said during the toss.Pant also apologized to the fans for the franchise’s disappointing campaign.“It’s been a tough season, but at the same time, there’s been a lot to learn for the team and personally. I’m sorry for the fans, they’ve come from all over UP. It’s been tough for us, but we’ll give our 100% today,” said the LSG captain.LSG has endured a poor IPL 2026 season. Despite boasting a star-studded squad, Pant’s side managed just four wins and lost nine out of 13 matches.They were also the first team to be eliminated from the playoff race that season.This is the third year in a row that the Lucknow franchise has failed to qualify for the IPL playoffs after finishing seventh in both IPL 2024 and IPL 2025.Meanwhile, Punjab Kings won the toss and decided to bowl first.“We will be bowling first. There are two changes – Marko and Vishak. The feeling is interesting, I would say it is a good match for us. We have never been in this situation before, and the boys are waiting for their best performance,” Iyer said during the toss.Teams:Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Prabhasmaran Singh (W), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (C), Suryanesh Shidge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Johnson, Vijay Kumar Vishak, Arshaddeep Singh, Yuzvinder Chahal.Punjab Kings (Impact Players): Harpreet Brar, Marcus Stoins, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Parveen Dubey.Lucknow Supergiants (Playing XI): Josh Inglis, Arshin Kulkarni, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Baduni, Rishabh Pant (W/C), Abdul Samad, Mukul Chaudhary, Arjun Tendulkar, Mohammad Shami, Prince Yadav, Mohsin Khan.Lucknow Supergiants (Impact Players): Shahbaz Ahmed, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Manimaran Siddharth, Himmat Singh, Akash Maharaj Singh.
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