Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel (Pic credit: IPL)

NEW DELHI: Rishabh Pant faces a defining IPL 2026 season as he leads Lucknow Super Giants into their opener against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday. After a mixed first year as captain, Pant now has a fully fit squad, with key additions like Mohammed Shami and Anrich Nortje bolstering the pace attack. The return of Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan further strengthens their bowling.LSG’s batting looks settled, with Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram at the top, while Pant is expected to bat higher up the order alongside Nicholas Pooran.Delhi, meanwhile, aim for stability after last season’s inconsistency. KL Rahul is set to open, with options like Prithvi Shaw in contention. Their bowling remains a strength, led by spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, with Lungi Ngidi and T Natarajan adding depth.

LSG vs DC Head-to-Head

Pitch No. 4 is likely to be in use for today’s fixture at the Ekana Stadium. The average first-innings score here last season was 187, a slight drop from 203 in 2024. Weather conditions in Lucknow are expected to be clear, with temperatures around 28°C in the evening and no rain forecast.

LSG vs DC: Predicted XIs

Lucknow Super Giants predicted XI: Mitchell Marsh*, Aiden Markram*, Nicholas Pooran*, Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Mayank Yadav, Digvesh RathiImpact Sub: Anrich Nortje*Delhi Capitals predicted XI: KL Rahul (wk), Pathum Nissanka*, Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs*, Axar Patel (capt), David Miller*, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Auqib Nabi, Dushmantha Chameera*, Kuldeep YadavImpact Sub: T Natarajan

LSG vs DC: Lucknow Weather Update

Clouds and sunshine are expected during the day, with the temperature peaking around 36°C. Conditions will remain partly cloudy at night, with the temperature dropping to around 23°C.It is set to be a hot evening during match time, with no rain expected. The temperature is likely to be around 33°C at toss and could ease to about 28°C by 11 PM.

LSG vs DC: Live Streaming details

The LSG vs DC clash will be held at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, with the match set to begin at 7:30 PM IST. The game will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network, while live streaming will be available on JioHotstar.

LSG vs DC squads

Lucknow Super Giants: Rishabh Pant, Ayush Badoni, Matthew Breetzke, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Arshin Kulkarni, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Maharaj Singh, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Arjun Sachin Tendulkar, Mayank Prabhu Yadav, Wanindu Hasaranga, Anrich Nortje, Josh Inglis, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, Naman Tiwari, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Mohsin Khan, Manimaran Siddharth, Mukul Choudhary.Delhi Capitals: Abishek Porel, KL Rahul, Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Ashutosh Sharma, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Tripurana Vijay, David Miller, Auqib Nabi Dar, Pathum Nissanka, Lungi Ngidi, Prithvi Shaw, Kyle Jamieson, Ajay Jadav Mandal, T Natarajan, Madhav Tiwari, Karun Nair, Sahil Parakh.

NEW DELHI: The Centre has given private hospitals one final window to stay on the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) panel, extending the deadline for mandatory empanelment formalities to April 30, 2026, while making it clear that no further extension will be granted.An office memorandum issued by the Director, CGHS, Dr Satheesh Y H, on March 28 allows hospitals to sign their Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to complete the process by the new deadline. The extension, from the earlier March 31 cut-off, comes after several hospitals flagged technical hurdles on the newly rolled out HEM 2.0 portal — the government’s digital platform meant to streamline empanelment by moving applications and approvals online.While the transition is aimed at improving transparency, it has slowed submissions. At the same time, the government has drawn a hard line: hospitals failing to comply by April 30 will be de-empanelled from May 1, making them ineligible to treat CGHS patients or raise claims, with re-entry requiring a fresh application.Empanelment is directly tied to payments—only hospitals on the CGHS panel can treat beneficiaries and raise claims, making delays or lapses in the process a direct hit on both patient access and hospital cash flows.Once empanelled, claims are processed within defined timelines, officials said, noting that settlement typically takes up to 90 days, with delays largely arising from queries or documentation gaps. The official also pointed to revised CGHS rates in October 2025 and existing provisions to penalise hospitals for denial or delay in treatment.However, this official view contrasts with feedback from the ground. Patient groups say delays and access issues persist, reflecting deeper systemic gaps. “CGHS beneficiaries today are caught in a system marked by delays, uneven access, and weak accountability,” said TK Damodaran, general secretary of the CGHS Beneficiaries Welfare Association of India, noting that complaints often remain unresolved and disparities in care continue.Hospitals, meanwhile, point to financial stress. “Delays in CGHS payments — often stretching beyond three to six months — put significant pressure on hospital cash flows, especially for smaller facilities,” said Dr Aashish Chaudhry, managing director of Aakash Healthcare. He added that while care delivery remains uninterrupted, current reimbursement rates do not fully reflect rising costs, making timely payments and realistic revisions critical for sustainability.The order acknowledges that portal-related issues contributed to missed deadlines but makes clear this is the last extension. For lakhs of CGHS beneficiaries dependent on private hospitals, any large-scale de-empanelment could directly disrupt access to cashless treatment across cities.

Stock market today (AI image)

Stock market today: Nifty50 and BSE Sensex rallied in opening trade on Wednesday on hopes of an end to the US-Iran war. While Nifty50 went above 22,800, BSE Sensex was up over 1,600 points. At 9:16 AM, Nifty50 was trading at 22,828.60, up 497 points or 2.23%. BSE Sensex was at 73,594.82, up 1,647 points or 2.29%.Experts are of the view that conditions will remain delicate in the near term, with movements in crude oil prices, currency trends and foreign investment flows likely to dictate direction.Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited says, “There are indications of de-escalation of the war from the statements issued by the Iranian authorities. Iranian president’s ‘openness to ending the war’ and confirmation from the Iranian foreign minister that ‘messages were exchanged with the U.S.’ indicate that the war might end soon. This view is getting reflected in declines in crude prices and US bond yields. The market might start discounting de-escalation earlier than the event.In the March series, the Bank Nifty suffered the worst cut with crash of around 17 %. This segment holds the promise of sharp recovery when the market bounces back. Leading private sector bank has been beaten down on non-fundamental issues. For long-term investors, this presents a buying opportunity. Many stocks across sectors were marked sharply down on March 30th due to selling triggered by tax harvesting. These stocks are due for a rebound today.“US equities closed with strong gains on Tuesday, supported by expectations of a possible easing in tensions in the Middle East. The conflict has driven a surge in oil prices in recent weeks and heightened concerns over global inflation.Asian markets opened higher, taking cues from the rally on Wall Street, as optimism grew that the geopolitical tensions disrupting global markets and energy supplies could be approaching a resolution.Gold prices also advanced on Wednesday, reaching their highest level in nearly two weeks. The uptick was aided by a softer dollar after US President Donald Trump indicated that the conflict with Iran could ease within weeks.On the institutional front, foreign portfolio investors remained net sellers on Monday, offloading equities worth Rs 11,163 crore. Domestic institutional investors, however, provided some support to the market by purchasing shares worth Rs 14,895 crore.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)