The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Delhi Capitals (DC) will face off as they kick off their IPL 2026 campaign on Wednesday, April 1. The fifth match of the season will take place at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. The Rishabh Pant-led team plans to win their first home game of the season with their squad that includes Aiden Markram Mitchell Marsh and Ayush Badoni. The Axar Patel-led team made their batting roster stronger by acquiring David Miller Ben Duckett and Pathum Nissanka at the IPL 2026 auction. Mitchell Marsh: Mitchell Marsh delivered a standout IPL season last year. The right-handed batsman achieved 627 runs across 13 games through his batting performance which included one century and six fifties at a remarkable strike rate of 163.70. The Super Giants retained him for ₹3.4 crore before the 2026 auction. Marsh has achieved a total of 6,003 runs through 233 T20 matches which he played at a strike rate of 138.03 and during which he scored four hundreds and 37 fifties. The 34-year-old player showed his recovery from Australia's early ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 exit by scoring 54 runs from 27 balls and 64 runs from 33 balls against Sri Lanka national cricket team and Oman national cricket team. He achieved scores of 72 runs from 36 balls and 45 runs from 36 balls against DC during the previous season. The opener will aim to continue that form in the season opener. Rishabh Pant: Rishabh Pant, the captain of LSG, achieved a remarkable century during his final IPL match at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. The wicketkeeper-batter finished IPL 2025 with an impressive performance, scoring 118 runs without losing his wicket off 61 deliveries against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The player now intends to bring his current success into the upcoming season. The franchise kept him on their roster by paying ₹27 crore before the 2026 auction. Pant has achieved 3,553 runs in 125 IPL matches with a strike rate of 147.61, which includes two centuries and 19 fifties. All T20 matches combined, he has accumulated 5,291 runs across 216 matches, which includes three centuries and 26 fifties. He has played for India in 76 T20Is, 31 ODIs, and 49 Tests and achieved nine centuries and 26 half-centuries. Also Read | 'To Put on a Show Was Nice': Debutant Cooper Connolly After Guiding PBKS to Victory vs GT, Wins POTM KL Rahul: KL Rahul had another successful IPL season in 2025. The wicketkeeper-batter achieved 539 runs through 13 innings while maintaining a strike rate of 149.72 and hitting one century and three fifties. The Delhi franchise retained him for ₹14 crore ahead of the 2026 auction. The 33-year-old remains one of the few players with over 5,000 runs in IPL history. He has scored 5,222 runs in 145 matches, including five centuries and 40 fifties. In T20 cricket, Rahul has played 239 matches while scoring 8,125 runs which includes seven centuries and 68 fifties. The Ekana Cricket Ground becomes a successful venue for him since he previously served as the LSG captain. The Karnataka-born batter has 540 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 131.39, including five half-centuries. He scored an unbeaten 57 off 42 balls in his last match against LSG in Lucknow last year.