Captain Rishabh Pant will lead the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) into IPL 2026. Pant, who was acquired for a record ₹27 crore, is the most expensive Indian player in IPL history.
The team has a new coach, Justin Langer, with Kane Williamson as a strategic advisor. LSG have never won the IPL title and finished sixth in IPL 2025 with 6 wins and 8 losses. This season, they aim to improve their performance.
LSG made big changes to strengthen their team. They traded for Mohammed Shami and Arjun Tendulkar and signed Anrich Nortje and Wanindu Hasaranga during the auction. However, they are facing issues with player fitness. Wanindu Hasaranga has a hamstring injury from the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 and might miss the entire IPL season. Josh Inglis, who was brought in to strengthen the middle order, is also unavailable for most matches due to his wedding.
LSG’s batting lineup includes Rishabh Pant (captain and wicketkeeper), Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Josh Inglis, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh, Akshat Raghuwanshi, and Mukul Choudhary. Their all-rounders are Mitchell Marsh, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Arshin Kulkarni. The bowling attack features Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Mohsin Khan, M. Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar, and Naman Tiwari.
Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram are expected to open the innings. Nicholas Pooran will bat in the middle order, while Rishabh Pant, who struggled last season, is crucial for their title hopes. The team’s biggest challenge is their fragile pace attack, with several key bowlers having fitness concerns. If one of them gets injured, it could significantly affect their campaign.