Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals, 5th Match, Indian Premier League 2026 - Commentary

Plenty for Lucknow Super Giants to reflect on despite the defeat, but not without a few positives. Abdul Samad’s contribution with the bat, and the Indian pace trio of Shami, Prince Yadav and Mohsin Khan showed real promise with the new ball. For Delhi Capitals, this is a result they will be very pleased with - especially after their top-order was blown away early. The bowlers laid the foundation, but it was Sameer Rizvi’s composed knock under pressure and the calm presence of Stubbs that will leave the biggest impression. That’s all from this game. Up next, Kolkata Knight Riders host Sunrisers Hyderabad. Join us for that one. Until next time, goodbye and stay safe..

Stats update by Shashikant Singh

All five games this season have been won by the chasing side, and this is the first win for an away team.

Sameer Rizvi for DC
4 (4)
20 (15)
39 (35)
58* (25)
70* (47)

119* runs stand is also the second-highest by a pair after being four down for less than 30 runs in an IPL innings, behind 134* runs added by Yusuf Pathan and Shakib Al Hasan for KKR against GL at Eden Gardens in 2016.

119* runs stand between Sameer Rizvi and Tristan Stubbs is DC’s highest for 5th wicket or lower in IPL, bettering 111* added by KL Rahul & Stubbs against RCB at Bengaluru last year.

Most successive wins for DC against a team
5 vs RR (2018-20)
5 vs SRH (2020-23)
5 vs LSG (2024-26)*

Sameer Rizvi | Player of the Match (translated from Hindi): No sir, like our practice sessions before the match, practice matches, so the coaches backed me by saying I will bat at number 4 this season. And you have to play your game according to the situation. Like you played according to the conditions. (Did the familiarity with the ground help?) If you play at a particular venue then you know how to play, our state team plays here. So we have played a lot of matches. So that thing was helping. No sir, as I went, I thought that I will play a little positive approach. But as soon as in the next over, two wickets fell, the situation changed completely. So I tried to talk to Stubbs. He said, let's take a little time. There are a lot of overs left and the run rate is also down. We should respect the conditions, so we talked and decided that we would play our game. Not only after reaching fifty, but I tried to put the loose delivery away and that was my plan throughout the innings.

Axar Patel | DC captain (translated from Hindi): It finished early but middle it became close. We just needed one partnership and that's what we spoke about in the break. Very happy with the bowling effort. When we started with the ball, we knew there was a bit of help for the bowlers, that was communicated to whoever was coming onto bowl. (On why he bowled only 3 overs?) You see how the match is going, there was a bigger and smaller boundary, and I was seeing who I can bowl, in the end I might have miscalculated 1-2 overs. (Was it always the plan to bring Rizvi as the impact sub?) The plan was to play Rizvi, but also have the option of Ashutosh Sharma. Maybe if we had not lost those early wickets then things might have been different. But yes, last year Ashu did well to win us the first game and this time Rizvi. He (Rizvi) works hard on his game and keeps asking how he can improve himself.

Tristan Stubbs: It was pretty straight in, and yeah, it was pretty simple what we needed to do, just bat a bit of time and build a partnership. And the way Rizvi batted was magnificent. You’re always looking to score, but it’s like it’s telling you what to do. You’ve just got to bat a bit of time. It was doing a bit. It swung for long, and there was always a bit of nip. So it was really just good cricket, and just take the game out of it. (Talks about the partnership with Sameer) Yeah, we kept saying, keep batting normally, keep looking to score. I think the way Sameer plays naturally just against the spin, takes it on, so it made my job a bit easier. Just knock it around, get him on strike. And we always knew it was one over, and then it was down to run a ball, and then take the game away, the shots you need, and yeah, fortunately we got it there. We said at the start of the over, let’s see if it’s spinning. And I think the first three balls went for like 12 or something. So it wasn’t the plan to take him on, but yeah, he was pretty good today. (About his batting position) I do enjoy it. Like today, that sort of tells you what to do. And you’re batting so many different situations. And I really like trying to get the team over the line at the end of the day.

Rishabh Pant | LSG captain: I think the best way to recover from it is to ignore (on his unlucky run-out). I think that’s the best way looking forward because you know something like that, you can’t control, but thinking about it definitely puts you on the back-foot. (If they were a bowler short?) See, it’s always the case, but you know the way we batted, we couldn’t get a partnership going for long. We had to get a batsman in who can bowl a little bit. And that was the option we had to take as an impact player because we were short of runs on a good surface. (Idea behind sending Badoni ahead of Pooran) I think the idea was very simple. Like he’s (Pooran) taking the charge in the middle overs. He’s not batting in the top order anymore because I’m batting up the order. And that’s why it happened because, you know, we wanted to explore that lefty-righty option at the top so they couldn’t bowl a left-arm spinner. Unfortunately, I got out at the wrong time. Otherwise, Axar Patel still had to bowl one over in the power play and that gives us the edge over them. But at the same time, you know, it’s part and parcel of the game and that’s the role we are defining for Badoni, when the situation is tough like that, when we lose early wickets, that’s the time he needs to make a mark. No, no, definitely there was enough, definitely with the new ball (on the bowlers). But at the same time, you know, when you score 140, you are not really going to put opposition under pressure, especially on a good wicket like this. But you know, one positive that, you know, boys fought hard, the way we bowled, especially the way we started, definitely some good signs going ahead in the season. See, definitely extras will hurt (on conceding 20 extras), but at the same time, you know, when a wicket like this happens, you’re trying too much, especially with a score like 140 where you have to get them out because if they play even normal cricket, they can get away. But a few extra crucial wickets in the starting actually put them in the back foot for sure. (Will he open for the rest of the season?) I think it’s a 50-50 call, but we’ll see. But you will definitely see me in the top order.

23:02 Local Time, 17:32 GMT: In the end, a comfortable win for Delhi Capitals, but it didn’t quite begin that way. Lucknow Super Giants came out breathing fire with the new ball. Mohammed Shami struck off the very first delivery to remove KL Rahul, setting the tone for a fiery spell. Mohsin Khan and Prince Yadav piled on the pressure, sharing three wickets between them as the Capitals stumbled to 26 for 4. With the game right on the edge, Tristan Stubbs stepped in to absorb the chaos. Calm, composed and calculated, he steadied the innings and found an able partner in Sameer Rizvi. The momentum slowly shifted as the pair rebuilt the innings by rotating strike and punishing the loose deliveries. Once set, they took control. The duo stitched together a match-winning 100+ stand, with Rizvi finishing on 70 and guiding Delhi Capitals home. LSG were always light on runs, but their balance hurt them further. Bringing in Shahbaz Ahmed as an impact sub left them short of a reliable fifth bowling option. When he and Markram were called upon, the game drifted quickly - 29 runs coming off just two overs, effectively sealing the contest. Presentations coming up..