Lodging of rice crop is one of the major limiting factors for rice productivity in cyclone prone coastal areas. Breeding for lodging resistance is complicated as it is influenced by structural and weather parameters. The knowledge of general combining ability coupled with per se performance would provide great value for choice of parents in hybridization programme. Selection of superior hybrid by combining per se performance and SCA is more desirable for evolving good breeding lines. In present investigation, sixteen hybrids were generated using four lodging susceptible rice varieties as lines and 4 lodging resistant lines as testers in Line x Tester design to assess combining ability for lodging resistance. Significant interaction effect of lines x testers for all the traits except 4th inter nodal length indicated preponderance of both additive and non-additive gene action in controlling these traits. Variance for SCA was higher than GCA for these traits except days to 50 % flowering and test weight indicated predominance of non-additive gene action in inheritance of these traits. Higher SCA effects in negative direction is desirable for days to 50 % flowering for earliness, plant height, culm strength, basal inter nodal length and per cent of lodging for development of lodging resistant varieties. Hybrids MTU 7029/ II 110-9-1-1-1-1 and MTU 7029/MTU 1121 found to be superior for grain yield per plant and lodging resistance and selection in segregating population of these hybrids might result in high yielding non-lodging rice varieties to sustain in cyclone prone coastal rice areas.