Rajasthan Royals beat Lucknow Super Giants by 40 runs in IPL 2026 Match 32, climb to second on points table

Rajasthan Royals defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 40 runs in the 32nd match of the Indian Premier League 2026 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on April 22, 2026, ending a two-match losing streak and climbing to second position on the IPL 2026 points table with 10 points. Lucknow Super Giants, who elected to bowl after winning the toss, were bowled out for 119 in 18 overs while chasing 160, recording their fourth consecutive defeat of the season and their third loss in as many home games at Ekana Stadium. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was the decisive performer across both innings, anchoring Rajasthan’s batting recovery with an unbeaten 43 off 29 balls and then removing Nicholas Pooran during the chase. England fast bowler Jofra Archer delivered the most damaging bowling spell of the match, claiming 3 for 20 and dismantling Lucknow’s middle order with steep pace and bounce.

How did Rajasthan Royals recover from 77 for 5 to post a competitive total at Ekana Stadium?

Rajasthan Royals’ innings was defined by two contrasting phases. Mohammed Shami made an immediate impact for Lucknow in the powerplay, removing Yashasvi Jaiswal for 22 off 12 and Dhruv Jurel off back-to-back deliveries in the third over, leaving Rajasthan at 32 for 2. Mohsin Khan followed with a maiden over that produced the wicket of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who fell for 32 attempting an aggressive shot, bringing Rajasthan to 32 for 3. Despite Sooryavanshi’s brief but characteristically explosive contribution — he reached 500 IPL runs in just 227 balls, breaking the previous record held by Glenn Maxwell at 260 balls — the Rajasthan top order crumbled rapidly. Riyan Parag departed for 16, and Shimron Hetmyer, after striking a six off Mayank Yadav’s 149 kilometres-per-hour thunderbolt, miscued a slower ball and was caught at mid-off. Donovan Ferreira fell in the 16th over, leaving Rajasthan at 77 for 5 with the innings approaching its final stages. Ravindra Jadeja then took control. He struck Mayank Yadav for two fours and a six in the 20th over alone, contributing 20 runs off that over. His unbroken 49-run partnership with impact substitute Shubham Dubey, who entered in the 16th over in place of Jaiswal, lifted Rajasthan from a precarious position to 159 for 6. The use of Dubey as an impact substitution, however, left Rajasthan a bowler short in the second innings. Prince Yadav finished with 2 for 29 and Mohsin Khan with 2 for 17 as Lucknow’s bowlers restricted Rajasthan to a total many considered well below par at the outset.

Why did Lucknow Super Giants collapse to 119 all out at the Ekana Stadium despite chasing only 160?

The Lucknow Super Giants chase unravelled almost immediately and never recovered. Ayush Badoni was run out from sharp fielding in the very first over, gone for 1. Rishabh Pant, the Lucknow captain and wicketkeeper, fell to Jofra Archer for 9 in the second over after a reckless stroke triggered the middle-order collapse that has become a recurring pattern for this Lucknow side. Aiden Markram was hurried into a mistimed pull off Archer’s vicious bumper and perished in the third over, leaving Lucknow at 11 for 3. Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran steadied with a 43-run partnership off 41 balls, but that resistance was broken when Ravindra Jadeja removed Pooran for 22 off 25 in the 10th over. Marsh continued to the 15th over and completed a half-century before departing, providing the only substantial knock of the chase. Impact substitute Himmat Singh fell to Ravi Bishnoi before Marsh’s dismissal. Mukul Choudhary was caught at cover off Brijesh Sharma in the 16th over. Brijesh then clean bowled Mohammed Shami with a full, fast delivery to reduce Lucknow to 113 for 8. Archer returned to claim Mayank Yadav caught behind and bowled out Mohsin Khan off a fast yorker that crashed into the stumps, completing the innings at 119 in 18 overs. Jofra Archer finished with 3 for 20, Ravindra Jadeja took 2 for 8 in 3 overs, and Nandre Burger took 2 wickets. Lucknow were bowled out 40 runs short of their target.

What is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s significance in Indian Premier League 2026 batting records?

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 14-year-old Rajasthan Royals opener from Bihar, reached 500 IPL runs during this match in just 227 balls, setting a new record for the fastest to the landmark in IPL history. The previous record was held by Glenn Maxwell at 260 balls. Sooryavanshi arrived at the Ekana Stadium with significant fan support drawn from the neighbouring state of Bihar and from Nepal, with temperatures at 40 degrees Celsius doing little to reduce crowd numbers. His innings of 32 included two boundaries off his first two deliveries before Mohsin Khan ended his stay in the fourth over. Sooryavanshi’s aggregate tally across the tournament entering this match stood at 418 runs at an average of 41.8 and a strike rate of 236.15.

How does this result affect the Indian Premier League 2026 points table and playoff race?

Rajasthan Royals moved to 10 points in second position on the IPL 2026 points table following this victory. The win snapped a two-match losing run for Rajasthan Royals, who had won four consecutive matches to open the season before dropping back-to-back results. Lucknow Super Giants, meanwhile, have now lost four matches in succession and remain under significant pressure both in terms of points and momentum. The Ekana Stadium pitch has consistently favoured bowlers across IPL 2026, with an average first-innings score of 153 and 12 wins for chasing teams from 15 matches played at the venue entering this fixture. Despite that chase-friendly record, Lucknow’s batting unit failed to capitalise on the format advantage. Riyan Parag, the Rajasthan Royals captain, acknowledged confusion at the toss and stated he was comfortable batting first in Lucknow given the pitch’s tendency to slow in the second half. Parag credited his team’s recovery from early wickets in both the batting and bowling phases as central to the result.

What are the key takeaways from Rajasthan Royals’ victory over Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2026 Match 32?

Rajasthan Royals defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 40 runs at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on April 22, 2026, posting 159 for 6 and bowling the hosts out for 119 in 18 overs. Ravindra Jadeja was the standout performer of the match, scoring an unbeaten 43 off 29 and taking 2 for 8, while Jofra Archer delivered a defining spell of 3 for 20 to dismantle Lucknow’s chase. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi set a new IPL record by reaching 500 runs in just 227 balls, surpassing Glenn Maxwell’s previous mark. Lucknow Super Giants have now lost four consecutive matches and three straight home games in IPL 2026. Rajasthan Royals climbed to second on the IPL 2026 points table with 10 points. Nicholas Pooran of Lucknow Super Giants continues to struggle for form, averaging just 8.50 in six innings with a strike rate of 79.68.

What are the key takeaways from Rajasthan Royals’ 40-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2026 Match 32?

• Rajasthan Royals defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 40 runs at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on April 22, 2026, posting 159 for 6 and bowling the hosts out for 119 in 18 overs.
• Ravindra Jadeja was the standout performer across both innings, scoring an unbeaten 43 off 29 balls and taking 2 for 8 in 3 overs, while Jofra Archer claimed 3 for 20 to dismantle the Lucknow Super Giants chase.
• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi reached 500 Indian Premier League runs in just 227 balls during this match, setting a new IPL record and surpassing the previous mark of 260 balls held by Glenn Maxwell.
• Lucknow Super Giants have now lost four consecutive matches in IPL 2026 and three straight home games at Ekana Stadium, with their batting unit failing to recover from losing three wickets inside the first three overs of the chase.
• Rajasthan Royals climbed to second position on the IPL 2026 points table with 10 points following this victory, ending a two-match losing streak that had threatened to derail their strong start to the season.