IPL Cricket 2026 LSG vs DC Match 5 Full Scorecard Review and Betting Recap

IPL 2026 Match 5 Scorecard: Sameer Rizvi Rescues Delhi Capitals From 26/4 to Stun LSG at Ekana

I covered the IPL 2025 season opener at this same venue twelve months ago. The atmosphere felt different on Wednesday night. Ekana's red-soil surface offered genuine movement for fast bowlers, something that made the toss feel more significant than usual. Axar Patel called correctly and sent LSG in without hesitation.

LSG First Innings: Bowled Out for 141

Rishabh Pant surprised everyone by opening the batting alongside Mitchell Marsh. A bold tactical move from the LSG captain, designed to maximise his impact during the powerplay. It backfired in unfortunate fashion. Marsh drove straight off Mukesh Kumar in the third over, and the ball deflected off the bowler's hand onto the stumps at the non-striker's end. Pant had backed up too far. Run out for 7 off 9 balls.

That dismissal set the tone. Aiden Markram walked in at number three and hit Axar Patel for a six over long-on, but the left-arm spinner found his off stump with a quicker delivery that skidded through. Three balls later, Ayush Badoni fell to T Natarajan for a three-ball duck. LSG were 49 for 3 inside the powerplay.

Nicholas Pooran represented LSG's best chance of posting a competitive total. Instead, Lungi Ngidi produced the ball of the innings. A dipping slower delivery that comprehensively bowled the West Indian through the gate for just 8. I was sitting behind the arm at the Members' End and the ball looked unplayable from any angle. That single moment probably shaved 25 to 30 runs off LSG's eventual total.

Abdul Samad and Marsh fight back

Mitchell Marsh top-scored with 35 off 28 balls, striking 2 fours and 3 sixes before Kuldeep Yadav trapped him in front with a googly. He batted with genuine intent across 49 minutes at the crease, but lacked partners willing to occupy the other end for sustained periods.

Abdul Samad provided the hardest hitting. His 36 off 25 balls included 3 fours and a towering six over midwicket. He and Shahbaz Ahmed, who came on as Impact Player, added 33 for the seventh wicket. But Natarajan ended Samad's resistance with a well-directed yorker in the 18th over, and the tail folded rapidly. LSG lost their last 4 wickets for just 3 runs as Ngidi and Natarajan cleaned up.

DC Bowling: Complete Team Effort Dismantles LSG

This was a collective effort of the highest order. No DC bowler conceded more than 8 runs per over, and every seamer and spinner contributed wickets or built pressure. Mukesh Kumar bowled all three of his overs in the powerplay, conceding just 17 runs while keeping Pant and Marsh honest with relentless accuracy outside off stump.

Ngidi finished with 3 for 27 from 3.4 overs. His combination of cutters, slower balls and hard lengths made him almost impossible to score off during the middle overs. Natarajan matched him with 3 for 29, including wickets in the 7th and 18th overs that broke the spine of LSG's innings. Kuldeep's 2 for 31 added spin pressure throughout.

DC Chase: From Crisis to Comfort

Chasing 142 should have been routine. It wasn't.

Mohammed Shami swung his first delivery into KL Rahul's pads. The ball caught the edge and flew to deep backward point. Golden duck. First ball. Shami has now dismissed a batter off the opening delivery of an IPL innings on five separate occasions, more than any bowler in the tournament's history.

Pathum Nissanka and Nitish Rana tried to stabilise. Rana struck 15 off 17 balls with 2 fours before Mohsin Khan found his outside edge. The left-arm seamer's extra bounce troubled every right-hander he bowled to, and his spell of 1 for 10 from 3 overs in the powerplay was outstanding. Then Prince Yadav produced a devastating fifth over. He dismissed Nissanka with a rising delivery that rushed the Sri Lankan, then bowled Axar Patel with a full ball next over. DC were 26 for 4 after 5 overs.

Rizvi and Stubbs rewrite the script

Sameer Rizvi entered as Impact Player, replacing Natarajan. The 21-year-old from Uttar Pradesh was playing on his home ground at Ekana, but conditions were hostile for batting. He was scoreless after 9 deliveries. Then 5 off 13. Patient and watchful in a way that belied his reputation as a power-hitter.

Tristan Stubbs joined him at the fall of the fourth wicket. Together they produced one of the most remarkable partnerships in Delhi Capitals' IPL history. Their 119 runs came off 58 balls. It broke the franchise record for the fifth wicket.

The match timeline shifted when Rizvi found his rhythm. The turning point arrived when LSG bowled spin. Shahbaz Ahmed conceded 16 runs in a single over, with Rizvi cracking 3 fours through different parts of the ground. Markram's solitary over of off-spin went for similar punishment. LSG bowled just 2.1 overs of spin total and leaked 35 runs. Rizvi hit 4 fours and 2 sixes off the slow bowlers alone.

Stubbs anchored the other end with calm assurance. His 39 not out from 32 balls featured measured drives and well-timed pulls. He launched Nortje for an 81-metre six over deep midwicket. The South African's composure allowed Rizvi to play with freedom.

Rizvi reached fifty off 37 balls, then accelerated. He finished unbeaten on 70 from 47, hitting the winning runs off the first ball of the 18th over with a flick through midwicket. DC completed the chase with 17 balls to spare.

Key Talking Points From LSG vs DC

The Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals match scorecard tells a story of dramatic swings. In the IPL 2026 standings, DC move to third with +0.90 NRR while LSG drop to eighth. Five matches into IPL 2026, and every single game has been won by the team that won the toss and bowled first. That pattern deserves attention from ipl betting app markets. Evening dew has been a consistent factor across all five venues.

LSG's batting order needs work. Opening with Pant was adventurous, but the lineup lacked depth after the top five. When Samad fell, only the tail remained. Their decision to bowl just 2.1 overs of spin was another tactical misstep that allowed Rizvi to find his rhythm against pace before punishing the limited slow bowling on offer.

DC's use of the Impact Player rule was textbook. They identified the chase was tricky, swapped a bowler for a specialist batter, and backed a young player to deliver under immense pressure. That kind of decision-making from captain Axar Patel suggests a well-prepared franchise. David Miller, making his DC debut after three seasons with LSG, had a quiet night but his presence gives DC genuine depth going forward.

Betting Takeaways From IPL 2026 Match 5

The toss continues to dominate outcomes. Five from five for the team bowling first is statistically significant. Impact Player markets are worth monitoring on any ipl betting app. Online ipl betting platforms increasingly offer prop bets on Impact Player selections too. Rizvi's selection as a batting Impact Player while chasing proved the difference between victory and defeat.

Scorecard Summary: LSG vs DC Match 5

Pitch Report and Conditions at Ekana Cricket Stadium

Pitch number 4 at Ekana was not centrally located. The square boundaries measured 63 metres on one side and 57 on the other, creating an asymmetry that both teams tried to exploit. The red-soil surface gripped during the first innings, producing uneven bounce and slower-ball effectiveness. By the second innings, under lights and with dew settling, the surface quickened and became friendlier for strokeplay.

LSG's total of 141 was well below the average first-innings IPL score of around 170 at this venue. But the pitch's two-paced nature in the first half made scoring genuinely difficult. Ngidi's slower deliveries gripped and dipped while Natarajan's left-arm angle created problems for right-handers. Those conditions explain why even 141 looked competitive at 26 for 4.

For upcoming matches at Ekana, expect the toss to remain significant. Dew settles after 8:30 PM, making the second innings easier for batting and harder for bowlers trying to grip their variations. Teams batting second with genuine depth should be favoured at this ground.