Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants Timeline

The Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants timeline is one of IPL's youngest rivalries and already one of its most consistently dramatic. Since LSG's debut in 2022, these two franchises have played 7 times, with RR holding a 5-2 advantage. RR are 2008 IPL champions; LSG are yet to win a title despite reaching the playoffs in 2022 and 2023. The gap in franchise age couldn't be starker: RR, under Shane Warne, won the inaugural IPL; LSG came into existence 14 years later and immediately competed at the highest level.

The defining theme of this rivalry is closeness. A 3-run first meeting in 2022, a last-over 2-run defeat in 2025, Sanju Samson's 82* masterclass, RR's biggest win of 7 wickets at Ekana every match has had a story. This article covers the complete RR vs LSG timeline: all 7 fixtures, the records, and the narratives that make this young rivalry worth watching.

RR vs LSG Head-to-Head Stats

All Matches: RR vs LSG Timeline (2022-2026)

IPL 2022: Both Wankhede Matches Go to RR

Second 2022 Match (May 15, 2022, Wankhede): A fortnight after the 3-run thriller, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal gave RR an aggressive platform at the top of the order that LSG couldn't recover from. RR posted 178, bowled LSG out for 164, and won by 14 runs. Two matches, two wins at Wankhede — RR established early dominance over the debutant franchise.

IPL 2022: A 3-Run Thriller Sets the Tone

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai — April 10, 2022

The inaugural meeting between these franchises produced a three-run finish that announced the rivalry's character immediately. LSG, playing just their fourth IPL match as debutants, showed no deference to RR's historic pedigree.

Rajasthan Royals Innings (165/6 in 20 overs)

RR were in trouble at 67/4, losing four wickets cheaply as LSG's bowlers applied early pressure. Shimron Hetmyer rescued them with an unbeaten 59 off 36 balls — composure under pressure, finishing with controlled aggression. His knock formed the foundation of RR's competitive total.

LSG's Chase (162/8 in 20 overs)

Quinton de Kock (39) and Marcus Stoinis (38 off 17 balls, 4 sixes — a new LSG record at the time) kept LSG alive with a blistering late fightback. Stoinis's four sixes in his innings brought LSG to the brink, with 15 needed off the final over. Kuldeep Sen — on IPL debut — held his nerve, conceding only around 12 runs in the final over to hand RR the narrowest of victories — the full over yielded 14 runs needed from 6 balls, but Sen's discipline was just enough.

Yuzvendra Chahal's Match-Winning Spell (4/41)

Chahal was the decisive bowling performer, taking 4 wickets and disrupting LSG's chase at crucial intervals. The last of those wickets — Dushmantha Chameera — was also his 150th IPL wicket, completing the milestone in the same match. He was the obvious Player of the Match.

Trent Boult (2/30) added new-ball pressure at both ends of the innings. The 3-run margin defined everything: a debut franchise came within a boundary of winning, RR's experience held.

IPL 2023: LSG's 10-Run Win at Jaipur

Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur — April 19, 2023

This was the only match between these sides in 2023. LSG posted 154/7 — a modest total on a tricky Jaipur surface — with Kyle Mayers (51 off 42) and KL Rahul (39 off 32) providing the platform before Avesh Khan (3/25) and Marcus Stoinis (2/28) did the bowling damage. RR began their chase brilliantly — Jaiswal (44 off 35) and Buttler (40 off 41) had them flying at 87/0 in the 12th over. Then came the collapse. Jaiswal's dismissal triggered a cascade of wickets; Samson was run out, Padikkal and Parag couldn't accelerate, and RR finished 144/6 — 10 runs short. Stoinis (21 off 16 + 2/28) was Player of the Match, his contribution across both departments proving the difference. It was also LSG's first win in this fixture.

A year after losing both 2022 matches at Wankhede, LSG's first Jaipur victory was a statement of genuine growth.

IPL 2024: Sanju Samson's 82* Masterclass

Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur — March 24, 2024

Sanju Samson produced the highest individual score in this rivalry's history — a commanding 82 off 52 balls (3 fours, 6 sixes)* — on IPL 2024's opening weekend. After Jos Buttler fell for 11 and Jaiswal was dismissed for 24, RR were 49/2 in the 5th over when Samson came in.

What followed was a captain's masterclass. Samson and Riyan Parag (43 off 29 balls) added 93 for the 3rd wicket, Samson accelerating throughout. He reached 50 off 33 balls, then continued attacking Naveen-ul-Haq (2/41), Mohsin Khan, and Ravi Bishnoi to finish unbeaten on 82 when RR's innings closed at 193/4.

LSG responded with fight. KL Rahul (58) and Nicholas Pooran (64* off 30 balls) pushed the chase, but a top-order wobble at 11/3 — triggered by Trent Boult (2/35) — proved too much to overcome. LSG finished 173/6. RR won by 20 runs. The 82* remains the highest individual score by any player in this fixture.

IPL 2024: RR's Biggest Win at Ekana

Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow — 2024

RR's most emphatic result in this rivalry came in a high-scoring Ekana encounter. LSG posted 196 — their highest total against RR — but Sanju Samson (71* off 33 balls) and Dhruv Jurel built an unbroken 121-run fourth-wicket partnership that chased it down with an over to spare. RR's 199/3 is their highest total against LSG.

Samson's 71 off 33 represented a completely different innings from his 82* in Jaipur — explosive rather than measured, dispatching the LSG attack with the fewest balls possible. The Samson-Jurel partnership was the highest by any pair in this fixture. RR won by 7 wickets.

IPL 2025: The 2-Run Jaipur Thriller

Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur — April 19, 2025

The most dramatic match in this rivalry's short history. LSG came to RR's home ground and produced a last-over heist that left cricket fans breathless.

LSG Innings (180/5 in 20 overs)

Aiden Markram (66 off 45) and Ayush Badoni (50) built LSG's platform through calm middle-over accumulation. Then Abdul Samad changed the game entirely. Needing quick runs in the final over, he struck Sandeep Sharma for four consecutive sixes — 27 runs from that over — launching LSG to 180/5, a total that suddenly looked very competitive.

RR's Chase (178/8 in 20 overs)

Yashasvi Jaiswal was brilliant — 74 off 52 balls, his third consecutive fifty in IPL 2025 — and had RR positioned well for most of the chase. But wickets fell in clusters, and the final over arrived with RR needing 6 off 4 balls. An Avesh Khan delivery, RR tried; a yorker, the bat swung and missed; Hetmyer hit straight to a fielder. LSG won by 2 runs. Avesh Khan (3/37) was Player of the Match for defending the target despite Samad's own over costing 27.

This was LSG's second win at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, confirming the remarkable Jaipur paradox: in three matches at RR's home ground, LSG have won two (2023 and 2025) and RR one (2024).

IPL 2026: RR's 7th Fixture

In their seventh meeting, played in IPL 2026, RR ended a two-match losing streak in memorable fashion. Ravindra Jadeja (43*) anchored RR's innings after a middle-order wobble — posting 159 — and Jofra Archer then dismantled LSG's top order with express pace. Archer dismissed Aiden Markram with a vicious bumper in his opening spell; Rishabh Pant was undone attempting a wild slog. LSG collapsed to 54/4 by the 10th over and couldn't recover. RR won.

One significant backdrop: this was the first RR-LSG meeting without Sanju Samson in RR colours — he had been traded to Chennai Super Kings ahead of IPL 2026.

Notable Records in RR vs LSG Rivalry

Individual Performances

Team Records

Venue Records

Leading Performers (All-Time)

Head-to-Head: Top Performers

Top Batsmen

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR): 207 runs — the all-time leader in this fixture, combining explosive opening with intelligent accumulation. His 74 off 52 in the 2025 Jaipur thriller was his best individual innings, and three consecutive 50+ scores in that season showed his consistency against LSG.

2. KL Rahul (LSG): 183 runs as LSG's most consistent performer in this fixture across the 2022-2024 period. His 58 in the 2024 Jaipur match was a measured anchor knock against a quality RR attack.

3. Sanju Samson (RR): Highest individual score in the fixture (82* off 52), plus the big Ekana innings (71* off 33). Two contrasting masterclasses — patient then explosive — that define RR's batting in this rivalry. Now at Chennai Super Kings from 2026.

4. Shimron Hetmyer (RR): His 59 off 36 balls in the first meeting — rescuing RR from 67/4 — remains one of the most important single knocks in this rivalry's short history.

5. Marcus Stoinis (LSG): 38 off 17 in the first meeting's last over nearly won it for LSG, combined with consistent contributions across multiple seasons.

Top Bowlers

1. Yuzvendra Chahal (RR): Best bowling figures in this fixture with 4/41 in the first meeting — a spell that included his 150th IPL wicket and broke LSG's chase at critical moments.

2. Trent Boult (RR): 8 wickets across this fixture, providing consistent new-ball penetration. His 2/30 in the first meeting and 2/35 in the 2024 Jaipur match were match-shaping contributions.

3. Avesh Khan: Across his stints in this fixture for LSG (2022-2023, 2025), Avesh has taken 8 wickets — including 3/25 in the 2023 Jaipur win and a defining 3/37 (POTM) in the 2025 2-run thriller. He also had a brief stint with RR in 2024 before returning to LSG.

4. Kuldeep Sen (RR): His last-over defense on his IPL debut in the first meeting — holding his nerve against Stoinis to seal a 3-run win — was one of the defining bowling moments in this rivalry.

RR vs LSG: What Makes This Rivalry Special?

This rivalry is defined by its paradoxes. RR lead 5-2 overall, yet LSG own RR's home ground: two wins from three matches at Sawai Mansingh Stadium is the kind of away record no visiting franchise should have at their rivals' fortress. The Jaipur paradox underpins every encounter — RR are confident in the overall scoreline, LSG are confident in Jaipur specifically.

The closeness of the matches tells the fuller story. Both 2022 meetings were thrillers. The 2024 Jaipur match was a 20-run win built on Samson's brilliance but tested to the last by Rahul and Pooran. The 2025 Jaipur match — a 2-run result decided by Samad's four sixes in the last over — was the kind of IPL evening that creates memories. Even the biggest win (7 wickets at Ekana, Samson 71* off 33) involved LSG posting their highest total in this fixture (196).

Star power makes every match high-quality on paper. RR brought the Buttler-Jaiswal opening partnership that terrorised bowlers across IPL 2022-2024. LSG had Rahul anchoring, Pooran finishing, Markram accumulating. The bowling match-ups — Boult and Chahal for RR against LSG's pace-heavy attack — have consistently produced tactical battles worth watching.

The youth dimension adds long-term intrigue. Jaiswal's emergence as one of world cricket's most exciting openers began in RR's 2022 campaign. Ayush Badoni has grown season by season for LSG. Avesh Khan has taken wickets in this fixture for both franchises at different career stages. This is a rivalry being shaped by players at the start of careers that will define Indian cricket for a decade.

The Samson chapter brought personal narrative depth. He played RR's innings in this rivalry before being traded to CSK ahead of IPL 2026 — his 82* and 71* remain the defining individual batting performances from either side. Rishabh Pant's arrival as LSG captain (2025) and the Archer-Jadeja-backed new-look RR in 2026 mean the rivalry enters genuinely new territory.

Conclusion

The Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants timeline is seven matches of close, compelling cricket. RR's 5-2 advantage masks a consistently contested fixture — a 3-run first meeting, back-to-back Samson masterclasses in 2024, and a 2-run Jaipur heist in 2025 where Samad's four sixes made the difference. Jaiswal's 207 runs define the rivalry's leading performer; Chahal's 4/41 debut match defined its first chapter. The Jaipur paradox — LSG winning twice at RR's home — prevents any psychological comfort despite the overall scoreline. As both franchises continue building, with Archer and Jadeja leading RR's new era and Pant at LSG's helm, this young rivalry has only added context to run with. The best chapters are still to come.