IPL 2025 | LSG vs RCB Match Preview: Royal Challengers Bengaluru aim top two finish with crucial away game at Lucknow

‌Royal Challengers Bengaluru will aim to finish in the top two of the Indian Premier League 2025 points table when they play Lucknow Super Giants in their last group game in Lucknow. With 17 points from 13 matches, RCB are currently third and a win against LSG will ensure that they finish above Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians with 19 points.

The teams that finish in the top two will face each other in the Qualifier 1 with the winning side directly going to the final and the loser getting an extra opportunity to have a shot at the title. The losing side will meet the winner of the Eliminator match, which will be played between sides placed third and fourth, in Qualifier 2.

Meanwhile, LSG, who are already out of the competition this season, will look to give their fans something to cheer for with a home win to end their inconsistent campaign. However, the hosts have momentum behind them as they upset GT, another IPL 2025 playoffs qualifier, by 33 runs in a high-scoring duel in Ahmedabad on Thursday. The same cannot be said for RCB as they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 42 runs the following day in Lucknow.

Virat Kohli has been RCB’s go-to man once again this season as he has topped their batting charts yet again this season with a tally of 548 runs in 12 matches, including seven fifties, at an astonishing average of 60.88 and a strike rate of 145.35. With Phil Salt also firing in RCB’s last match, albeit in a losing cause, LSG bowlers will have a task in hand to stop the visitors during the powerplay. On the bowling front, Josh Hazlewood might figure in the scheme of things yet again after returning from a shoulder niggle. The Aussie pacer has been RCB’s best bowler, by a distance, this season with 18 wickets from 10 games averaging 17.27 and striking at a frequency of 12.27 balls.

For LSG, their top-heavy batting line-up fired yet again versus GT to lay the foundation for a comfortable win. Mitchell Marsh scored a belligerent century while Nicholas Pooran played the supporting role to perfection as he remained unbeaten with his fifth fifty of the IPL 2025 campaign. Unsurprisingly, the duo have been at the top of the scoring charts for LSG with 560 and 511 runs, respectively. Digvesh Rathi’s return from a one-match suspension, the hosts’ bowling unit will receive a much-needed boost with pacer Will O’Rourke also registering an impressive performance in the GT game.

Form Guide

LSG Form: LLLLW

RCB Form: WWWWL

LSG vs RCB head-to-head in T20s

The LSG vs RCB fixture in the Indian Premier League has been a close contest with RCB holding a thin edge with three wins over the home side’s two in a total of five meetings. However, it was LSG who came out on top against RCB by 28 runs in their last meeting in April 2024 in Bangalore. 

LSG 2 - 3 RCB

Pitch and Conditions

The Ekana Stadium, as has been this season, is expected to support the batters with its flat track and quick outfield. The spinners may have a say in the game with the big dimensions of the field coming into play. Three of the four innings in the last two matches have seen teams cross the 200-run mark at this venue and it has been a chasing ground with five of the seven matches won by teams batting second this season. LSG’s home record has been woeful in IPL 2025 as the side has lost four out of their six matches in Lucknow.

It will be a sunny day with temperatures expected to reach 37 degrees during the day before coming down to 29 at night. It will be a clear day in Lucknow with the probability of rain being around 9% during the day but will recede to 7% in the evening and night.

Team News

LSG are expected to make two changes with Digvesh Rathi and Shardul Thakur coming back into the side in place of Akash Singh and Himmat Singh while RCB are expected to play fit-again pacer Josh Hazlewood in place of Lungi Ngidi.

LSG Expected XII

Rishabh Pant (c), Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, Digvesh Rathi, Will O’Rourke, Shahbaz Ahmed

RCB Expected XII

Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma

Broadcasting Platforms 

The LSG vs RCB Indian Premier League 2025 match will be digitally streamed on JioHotstar and telecast on the Star Sports network at 7:30 PM IST in India.