New Delhi: Lucknow Supergiants captain Ritha Pant His opening experiment got off to a frustrating start as the Lucknow Super Giants took on Delhi Capitals in the first match of IPL 2026 on Wednesday, with his innings cut short by the odd outing.The incident occurred in the third over when Mukesh Kumar bowled a full ball, Mitchell Marsh Hit the bowler firmly. Mukesh touched the ball with his fingertips during the follow-up and inadvertently deflected the ball towards the stumps at the non-striker’s end.
Pant retreated too far, far from the crease, with no chance of recovery. He was visibly disappointed and left without waiting for confirmation from the third referee after scoring seven of nine goals.watch:Pant’s early dismissal was a blow to LSG’s strategy as the team chose to promote him to the top in a bold tactical move. The wicket also validated Delhi’s decision to bowl first at the end of the match Axar Patel Won the toss, looking forward to help from the fresh surface.Earlier, Axar explained the call by pointing out that while the data favored the team batting first, it could help the bowlers in the powerplay. Delhi fielded a balanced eleven that included the likes of KL Rahul, David Miller and Kuldeep Yadav, while LSG relied on a strong overseas core including Marsh, Nicholas Pooran and Anrich Nortje.What is even more concerning is that Arjun Tendulkar, despite being a member of the LSG team this season, is still absent from the starting lineup and the bench.The game soon swung in Delhi’s favor in the opening encounter as Pant’s gamble backfired early on.
LSG vs DC starting lineup
Lucknow Super Giants (Starting Lineup): Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Mukul Chaudhry, Mohsin KhanMohammad Shami, Anrich Nortje, Prince YadavLucknow Supergiant rush substitutes: Digvesh Rathi, Avesh Khan, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akshat RaghuvanshiDelhi Capitals (Starting Lineup): KL Rahul(w), Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Axar Patel(c), Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Vipraj Nigam, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh KumarDelhi Capitals shock substitutes: Ashutosh Sharma, Ochib Nabi, Sameer Rizvi, Dushmantha Chameera, Karun Nair
