Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals Timeline: IPL History

For three years, Lucknow Super Giants owned this rivalry. Then Delhi Capitals flipped the script completely. In just eight IPL encounters since 2022, DC turned a 0-3 deficit into a five-match winning streak, and the shift happened faster than most fans expected. This timeline tracks every chapter of what has become one of the IPL’s more compelling mid-table rivalries.

First Encounter: IPL 2022 ·
Recent Match: IPL 2025 Match 22 ·
DC High Score vs LSG: 208 (May 14, 2024) ·
LSG Score in Loss: 189 (May 14, 2024) ·
Trophies for Both: 0

Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals Timeline

The rivalry began in IPL 2022 when both franchises entered the tournament as new entries. Lucknow opened the account quickly, winning the first three encounters against Delhi. The pattern shifted decisively in April 2024, and DC has not lost to LSG since.

First encounter in IPL 2022

• April 7, 2022: LSG won by 6 wickets at Navi Mumbai (DC 149/3, LSG 155/4)
• May 1, 2022: LSG won by 6 runs at Mumbai (LSG 195/3, DC 189/7)

LSG finished third in their debut season, with KL Rahul anchoring both wins. The first encounter saw LSG chase down a modest target, while the second required a tighter finish with Rahul guiding the lower order.

Key matches in 2024

• April 12, 2024: DC won by 6 wickets at Lucknow (LSG 167/7, DC 170/4)
• May 14, 2024: DC won by 19 runs at Arun Jaitley Stadium (DC 208/4, LSG 189/9)

The April match at Ekana Stadium marked DC’s first successful chase in the series. Three months later, Delhi posted their highest total against LSG — 208/4 — a score that proved too steep for Lucknow’s batting lineup (BigBashBoard head-to-head data). That 208 remains DC’s best performance against LSG in the eight-match history.

IPL 2025 continued DC dominance

• March 24, 2025: DC won by 1 wicket at Visakhapatnam
• April 22, 2025: DC won by 8 wickets at Lucknow (LSG 159/6, DC 161/2)

After losing the first three encounters, DC have won five in a row (CricTracker analysis). The April 22 match saw KL Rahul — once LSG’s captain — score a half-century for DC and guide his new team to victory at his former home ground.

What is DC’s highest score?

Delhi Capitals’ highest total against Lucknow Super Giants stands at 208/4, set on May 14, 2024 at Arun Jaitley Stadium. LSG responded with 189/9, falling 19 runs short in a chase that looked promising at the halfway stage.

Highest vs LSG

That 208-marked DC’s best batting display in the eight-match history. Kuldeep Yadav’s left-arm spin created pressure in the middle overs, while the top order built momentum through the powerplay. LSG’s chase collapsed from a strong position, losing four wickets between overs 11 and 16.

Context in T20 chases

Chasing 209 in Delhi requires a specific approach — high intent early, calculated acceleration in the middle, and clean finishing. LSG managed neither, which underlines how difficult Arun Jaitley Stadium has become for visiting teams in recent seasons. The 208 total remains unmatched in this fixture, though DC came close to threatening it again in subsequent encounters.

The implication: DC’s 208 in 2024 represents both the high-water mark of their batting revival and the ceiling LSG must now breach to regain parity in this rivalry.

Why is Axar Patel captain of DC?

Delhi Capitals retained Axar Patel as captain for IPL 2025 after evaluating their leadership options following a period of inconsistency. The franchise opted for continuity rather than searching for a high-profile replacement, trusting Patel to guide a relatively young squad.

Retention for IPL 2025

Axar Patel was announced as DC captain ahead of the 2025 season. The decision came after the franchise finished outside the playoff picture for consecutive years. Patel had served as vice-captain previously, and his experience across formats made him a natural choice for a team rebuilding its culture.

Leadership role

In the April 22, 2025 match against LSG, Patel scored 34* and anchored the chase alongside KL Rahul (NDTV Sports match recap). His calm presence under pressure reflects the leadership style DC wanted — someone who leads by performance rather than volume.

The catch: DC’s bet on Patel worked in 2025, but the franchise must show playoff contention soon or face renewed questions about whether captaincy continuity is a strength or a trap.

Does Lucknow Super Giants win the IPL trophy?

Lucknow Super Giants have not won an IPL trophy. Since their debut in 2022, the franchise has reached the playoffs twice — finishing third in 2022 and falling short in subsequent seasons — but never lifting the championship.

Trophy history

LSG entered the IPL in 2022 alongside Gujarat Titans. While GT claimed the title in their inaugural season, LSG settled for a playoff finish. The 2022 campaign remains their best result: a third-place finish under KL Rahul’s captaincy with a balanced bowling attack led by Ravi Bishnoi.

Teams with 0 IPL trophies

LSG shares the zero-trophy status with Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad — five franchises that have never won the IPL despite multiple seasons. RCB and DC have reached finals, but neither converted those opportunities into titles.

In which team will KL Rahul play in IPL 2026?

KL Rahul plays for Lucknow Super Giants through his retained contract. While he starred for DC in IPL 2025 — scoring a half-century against his former team on April 22 — his primary affiliation remains with LSG, where he has been a central figure since the franchise’s inception.

LSG role

Rahul has been LSG’s primary batsman and captain across most of their three seasons. He accumulated 153 runs in LSG vs DC clashes, second only to Nicholas Pooran among players in this fixture (CricTracker player stats). His move to DC for the 2025 season represented a temporary stint rather than a permanent transfer.

Recent history

On April 22, 2025, Rahul scored a match-winning half-century for DC at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium. The performance drew attention because he was playing against the franchise he once captained. NDTV Sports reported that Rahul “guided Delhi Capitals to an eight-wicket victory over his former franchise Lucknow Super Giants” (NDTV Sports live commentary).

The head-to-head ledger tells a stark story: LSG dominated early, but DC now controls this rivalry with five straight wins. The comparison below maps each encounter from 2022 through 2025.

The pattern shows a clear reversal. LSG controlled the first three years of the rivalry; DC has controlled the last two. The shift coincides with leadership changes on both sides — KL Rahul’s exit from LSG, Rishabh Pant’s arrival, and Axar Patel’s appointment at DC.

Delhi Capitals win at a canter, by 8 wickets, over Lucknow Super Giants. They have completely outclassed LSG at their own den.

— NDTV Sports Live Commentary

After losing the first three, DC have won five in a row.

— CricTracker Analysis

For fans tracking either franchise, the 2025 season offers no comfort. Both teams entered the campaign without trophies and remain without them. The only certainty is that the head-to-head ledger — once competitive — now heavily favors Delhi. The next meeting will test whether LSG can rediscover the formula that worked in 2022 and 2023, or whether DC’s five-match streak becomes a permanent feature of this rivalry.