Punjab Kings won a crucial toss and elected to field first in their must-win IPL 2026 clash against Lucknow Supergiants at the Ekna Stadium as they look to keep their fading playoff hopes alive. PBKS came under a lot of pressure after six straight defeats completely derailed what had once looked like a top-two campaign. On April 25, Punjab sat comfortably at the top of the table with 13 points from seven games, but a dramatic dip in form has pushed them into a desperate battle for survival. Captain Shreyas Iyer After choosing to chase the competition around the high stakes. “We will bowl first. There are two changes – Marko and Vishak. The feeling is interesting, I would say it is a do-or-die match for us. We have never been in this situation before and the boys are looking forward to their best.” Punjab’s eligibility equation remains complex. Not only do they need to win tonight, preferably by a convincing margin, but also need favorable results elsewhere, including Rajasthan Royals Points dropped and Kolkata Knight Riders failed to improve their net run rate significantly. For Lucknow, the season has already slipped away, but the skipper Rishabh Pant He said his team wants to finish strong despite a tough campaign. “We would have bowled earlier. This wicket is good for cricket, regardless of bowling or batting. It is one of the best batting wickets, it could be a high-scoring match. Two changes – Arjun and Arshin Kulkarni. It has been a tough season, but at the same time, there has been a lot to learn, for both teams and personally for the fans of the second over.” It has been difficult for us, but we will give our 100% today.“ Lucknow have also been hit hard by availability issues, with Mitchell Marsh missing for tonight’s match along with overseas players Aidan Markram, Matthew Bretzke and Enrich Nortje. Marsh’s absence is particularly significant as the Australian opener has scored 563 runs this season and has formed a devastating opening partnership with Josh Ingles in recent games.Teams:Lucknow Supergiants (Playing XI): Josh Inglis, Arshin Kulkarni, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Baduni, Rishabh Pant (W/C), Abdul Samad, Mukul Chaudhary, Arjun Tendulkar, Muhammad ShamiPrince Yadav, Mohsin KhanPunjab Kings (Playing XI): Prabhasmaran Singh (W), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (C), Suryanesh Shidge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Johnson, Vijay Kumar Vishk, Arshad Singh, Yuzvinder Chahal With Punjab’s season hanging by a thread and Lucknow looking to end on a positive note, match 68 of IPL 2026 is at stake.
