IPL 2026: Mitchell Marsh unavailable for LSG's final league game against PBKS
Lucknow, May 23
Lucknow Super Giants have suffered a setback ahead of their final league match as Australian star Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out for the Indian Premier League 2026 clash against Punjab Kings on Saturday evening.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Marsh, one of only two batters to score multiple centuries this season, is unavailable for the fixture. However, the reason behind his absence is yet to be confirmed.
Marsh has stood out as one of the few positives in an otherwise underwhelming campaign for the Super Giants, who have once again fallen short of a playoff berth.
The Australian all-rounder leads the franchise's batting charts this season with 563 runs from 13 innings, which includes two centuries and three fifties. In contrast, skipper Rishabh Pant is the next best contributor with 286 runs from 12 innings--almost half of Marsh's total.
Although there has been no official confirmation regarding Marsh's unavailability, the 34-year-old is expected to lead Australia in a three-match ODI series against Pakistan starting May 30 in Rawalpindi. A win for Lucknow would allow them to finish their IPL 2026 season on a positive note, while a loss for PBKS would eliminate them from the playoff race.
However, even a victory for Shreyas Iyer-led PBKS may not be enough to secure qualification, with Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals still in contention for the remaining spots.
Squads: Lucknow Super Giants Squad: Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Akash Maharaj Singh, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Mukul Choudhary, Manimaran Siddharth, Himmat Singh, Arshin Kulkarni, Mohammed Shami, Aiden Markram, George Linde, Anrich Nortje, Matthew Breetzke, Arjun Tendulkar, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Naman Tiwari, Avesh Khan. Punjab Kings Squad: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh(w), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer(c), Suryansh Shedge, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Musheer Khan, Praveen Dubey, Ben Dwarshuis, Marco Jansen, Mitchell Owen, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Nehal Wadhera, Harnoor Singh, Pyla Avinash, Vishal Nishad.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Honestly, Marsh has been a beast this season. Two centuries in one IPL is no joke! But I'm more curious about why he's unavailable - is it a niggle or pre-planned rest for the Pakistan series? LSG should have managed him better if they knew he'd leave early. Anyway, hoping for a fun game, let's see if Akash Singh or someone can step up. 🏏
Marsh scoring 563 runs while next best Indian batter (Pant) has 286 is a sad reflection on LSG's talent scouting. We keep seeing this over-reliance on foreign stars every season. What happened to developing domestic talent like Abdul Samad or Ayush Badoni? They've been around for years but never shown consistency. Need better planning from Goenka and the management!
As an Australian watching the IPL, this is interesting timing with the Pakistan ODIs coming up. Makes sense for Marsh to rest - he's been playing non-stop since the BGT series. But it does leave LSG in a tough spot. Hopefully Inglis gets a game, and Punjab can capitalize with a win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Love how competitive the bottom half is this year! 🇮🇳🤝🇦🇺
First they lose to RCB in that last-ball thriller, now their star player is missing the final match😤. LSG's campaign has been full of "what-ifs" this season. But credit to Marsh - he's been the only consistent performer. If Punjab loses this and misses playoffs, it'll be heartbreaking for their fans who've waited so long. Come on Shreyas bhai, do it for the underdogs! 🤞
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