Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar has won the toss and elected to bowl first against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in RCB vs LSG IPL 2026 match. However, the major talking point ahead of the fixture at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is the tactical deployment of Virat Kohli, who has been named as an Impact Substitute rather than starting in the playing XI. You can follow Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Lucknow Super Giants Match Scorecard.

Kohli recently suffered a minor ankle niggle during RCB’s previous outing against the Mumbai Indians. While the veteran batsman participated in pre-match training and throwdowns, the team management has opted for a cautious approach. By listing him as an Impact Player, the defending champions can safely utilise his batting expertise during their run chase tonight without risking further physical strain in the field.

RCB XI: Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar

RCB Impact Substitute Options: 

  • Virat Kohli

  • Venkatesh Iyer

  • Jordan Cox

  • Kanishk Chouhan

  • Mangesh Yadav

For LSG, captain Rishabh Pant will look to use his impact bench to adapt to the famously high-scoring Bengaluru pitch. Depending on the target they set and the match situation, the visitors could introduce spin specialist M. Siddharth or all-rounder George Linde during the second innings to help restrict RCB's explosive top order. Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Lucknow Super Giants, IPL 2026 Live Streaming Online and Free Telecast.

LSG XI: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (wk/c), Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Prince Yadav

LSG Impact Substitute Options:

  • Manimaran Siddharth

  • George Linde

  • Matthew Breetzke

  • Himmat Singh

  • Mayank Yadav

Patidar’s decision to field first aligns with the historical advantage of chasing at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. To bolster their attack, RCB have made one significant change, bringing in Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood to replace Jacob Duffy. LSG remain unchanged from their previous match, trusting their current combination to deliver on the road.

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 15, 2026 07:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).