Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], April 19 (ANI): Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant won the toss and opted to bat against struggling Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Saturday at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here.

Rajasthan Royals, who desperately need a victory to keep their top-four hopes alive, have suffered a massive blow, as designated captain Sanju Samson is missing out due to an injury.

The Royals have been struggling throughout the season, with just two victories in their seven fixtures so far, and are currently in eighth spot. With victory the need of the hour, the Royals have named the 14-year-old opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi as an impact substitute.

While Rajasthan has been a victim of inconsistency, Lucknow has relished success, boasting eight points with four stories of success and occupies the fifth spot.

After winning the toss, Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant said, 'Rishabh Pant: We're going to bat first, the wicket is looking dry, so we want to take advantage. No dew, so why not bat first? The general thought process was to take the positives. We are lacking in small areas, want to improve on those and take the game forward. It was good to get back into form and contribute. I was not worried about, knew it was round the corner. Sometimes it takes time, and I got time in the last game. Prince comes in for Akash Deep.'

Rajasthan Royals stand-in captain Riyan Parag said during the time of the toss, 'We were looking to bowl, it is a little bit warm under lights, should be better than the last time. Vaibhav, the youngster, comes in. It's been kinda tricky, we've been doing small bits right, but we haven't been able to put a collective performance together, we've been having honest chats as a team. We love playing here, we know the conditions well, hope we can put that to good use.'

Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(w/c), David Miller, Abdul Samad, Ravi Bishnoi, Shardul Thakur, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Avesh Khan

Lucknow Super Giants Impact Subs: Ayush Badoni, Mayank Yadav, Shahbaz Ahmed, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubham Dubey, Riyan Parag(c), Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande.

Rajasthan Royals Impact Subs: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Kunal Singh Rathore. (ANI)