In the 15th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will face Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The match will be played at the prestigious Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday, April 9 and both the teams will be looking to score crucial points to improve their position in the standings.
After the win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a thrilling match, Lucknow Super Giants will enter this match with confidence. Kolkata Knight Riders are currently in eighth place without any win this season. Both the teams will aim to score maximum points by performing strongly in the competition.
IPL 2026: KKR vs LSG Match Preview
Kolkata Knight Riders need to bounce back after two defeats against Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Captain Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi will have to perform well with the bat. However, Cameron Green has scored just 24 runs in three matches and has failed to justify his selection so far.
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Lucknow Super Giants got their first win against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Mohammed Shami bowled an economical spell, while Rishabh Pant scored an unbeaten half-century. Nicholas Pooran also has a strong record against Kolkata Knight Riders, with several match-winning half-centuries.
Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowling attack is struggling after scoring big scores. Vaibhav Arora will lead the pace unit along with Blessing Muzarabani and Kartik Tyagi. However, Arora and Tyagi are giving runs at an economy rate above 12, which is creating problems for the team.
In contrast, Lucknow Super Giants’ bowling unit looks disciplined. Mohammed Shami impressed against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Fast bowlers like Prince Yadav and Avesh Khan have provided regular breakthroughs, making them a tough challenge for the Knight Riders’ batsmen.
Also Read: KKR vs LSG Match 15: Free Live Streaming, Pitch Report, Weather Report, Playing XI, Head-to-Head and Match Preview – IPL 2026
Kolkata Knight Riders Team: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakraborty, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Mathisha Pathirana, Tejasvi Singh, Kartik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra, Rachin Ravindra, Blessing Muzarabani, Saurabh Dubey and Navdeep Saini.
Lucknow Super Giants Squad: Rishabh Pant (captain), Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Matthew Bretzke, Mukul Chaudhary, Akshat Raghuvanshi, Josh Inglis, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshin Kulkarni, Ayush Badoni, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, M. Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar, Anrich Nortje, Naman Tiwari, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan.
IPL 2026: KKR vs LSG Playing XI
Kolkata Knight Riders are facing selection problems in their bowling department. Experienced spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine missed the match against Punjab Kings (PBKS), which was abandoned due to rain.
KKR will probably open with Ajinkya Rahane and Finn Allen. Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green and Rinku Singh will form the middle order. Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Karthik Tyagi and Blessing Muzarabani will handle the bowling responsibilities against the LSG batting lineup.
Playing XI of Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Finn Allen Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wicketkeeper), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi.
12th Player: Blessing Muzarabani
Meanwhile, LSG have a fully fit squad, giving captain Rishabh Pant the freedom to choose his strongest playing XI. Lucknow Super Giants will likely open with Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram.
Rishabh Pant will do wicketkeeping and will bat at number three. Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad will provide strength to the middle order. Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, Prince Yadav and Digvesh Rathi complete the bowling attack.
Playing XI of Lucknow Super Giants: Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (captain) (wicketkeeper), Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Mukul Chaudhary, Manimaran Siddharth, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Prince Yadav.
12th man: Anrich Nortje/Ayush Badoni
IPL 2026: KKR vs LSG Impact Players
Kolkata Knight Riders Depending on the situation, the Finns will likely use Allen or Blessing Muzarabani as their impact players. The explosive batsman has a high strike rate and can provide aggressive starts in the powerplay. If they bowl first, Muzarabani will start in the starting lineup.
Lucknow Super Giants can use Ayush Badoni as their impact player. Badoni provides depth to the middle order if the top order struggles. However, the batsman has been struggling for runs in the current tournament.
IPL 2026: KKR vs LSG pitch report
Eden Gardens The pitch is conducive to batting, allowing easy stroke play throughout the match. The fast bowlers have had more success here than the spinners and have taken 46 wickets compared to 21 in the last five matches.
The flat surface and dimensions of the field often produce high-scoring games, with an average first innings score of 163. The fast bowlers may get some early pace, but the batsmen generally dominate the middle overs.
The chasing teams have a slight advantage due to the fast outfield and consistent bounce. However, scoreboard pressure can lead to mistakes, with yorkers and slower balls becoming dominant in the latter stages.
IPL 2026: KKR vs LSG weather report
Kolkata is expected to be cloudy on the match day with the temperature ranging between 22 degrees Celsius to 30 degrees Celsius. Moderate winds will blow from south-east. There is no rain expected, so the full match is likely to be played.
Dew can play an important role in the second innings, which will make it difficult for the bowlers to get hold of the ball and the team chasing the target will get the advantage. Captains will have to consider these conditions at the time of toss.
IPL 2026: KKR vs LSG head-to-head record and last 5 matches
Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders are close in head-to-head records. In the last IPL season, Lucknow Super Giants defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by four runs in a tough match. Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran secured the victory by scoring half-centuries.
Kolkata Knight Riders would like to surpass this record and register their first point in the season. Overall, Lucknow Super Giants have won four matches, while Kolkata Knight Riders have won two. None of the matches between the two teams were tied or yielded any result, highlighting the competitive rivalry.
Last 4 matches:
LSG won by 4 runs in 2025
KKR won by 98 runs in 2024
KKR won by 8 wickets in 2024
LSG won by 1 run in 2023
LSG won by 75 runs in 2022
IPL 2026: KKR vs LSG players to keep an eye on
Angkrish Raghuvanshi is the leading top-order batsman for Kolkata Knight Riders. He scored half-centuries in his first two matches and is in good form. The team will need another innings from him against the bowling attack of Lucknow Supergiants at the Eden Gardens.
Rishabh Pant will come in good form in this match. The wicketkeeper-batsman scored an unbeaten half-century against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Lucknow Super Giants will rely on their middle-order batting to post a big score.
Mohammed Shami will lead the bowling attack of Lucknow Super Giants. The fast bowler bowled a brilliant spell of four overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad, giving only nine runs and taking two wickets. He would like to target the top order of Kolkata Knight Riders in the powerplay.
Blessing Muzarabani has been the leading bowler of Kolkata Knight Riders. This tall fast bowler had taken four wickets in his last match. Captain Ajinkya Rahane will rely on him to use his bounce and take early wickets against the Lucknow Super Giants batsmen.
IPL 2026: KKR vs LSG key battles worth watching
There will be many important battles in different stages in the match. Mohammed Shami will be important against Ajinkya Rahane in the powerplay. Rahane likes to attack early, while Shami uses pace and seam to take wickets.
Another important contest is between Varun Chakravarthy and Nicholas Pooran in the middle overs. The West Indies batsman plays spin well and has a good record against Kolkata Knight Riders. Chakraborty will have to bowl accurately to stop him.
The battle between Rinku Singh and Prince Yadav in the death overs could shape the final score. Rinku builds his innings before launching the attack late, while Prince Yadav relies on yorkers under pressure.
IPL 2026: KKR vs LSG Live Streaming and Telecast Details
Indian Premier League matches are available on multiple television and digital platforms. Star Sports Network will telecast the match in India, while JioHotstar will provide live streaming for online viewers.
The match will be available in multiple regional languages including English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. Star Sports will offer commentary and analysis throughout the game.
To watch online, JioHotstar will live stream the match. Fans require an active subscription to watch on a mobile phone, tablet or smart TV, allowing them to follow the action from anywhere.
IPL 2026: KKR vs LSG Match Prediction
Lucknow Super Giants will enter the match as slight favorites due to their recent form. Rishabh Pant and his team are full of confidence after their recent win.
However, Kolkata Knight Riders would like to make a comeback on home ground. The toss can play an important role, as dew in the second innings often helps teams chasing the target.
However, LSG’s middle-order batsmen have failed to perform well in the tournament so far. Of the three, Abdul Samad has been the only player to make an impact, scoring 52 runs in 2 matches, while Ayush Badoni and Nicholas Pooran combined to score only 21 runs.
