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Lucknow Super Giants qualified for the playoffs in their first two IPL seasons but finished in the bottom half in the last two editions.
Sanjiv Goenka (left) and Rishabh Pant (PTI Photo)
Lucknow Super Giants made an impressive entry into the Indian Premier League by qualifying for the playoffs in their first two years. However, the third season turned out to be quite eventful as rumours of rift between the then captain KL Rahul and the team owner surfaced during what was a forgettable campaign as they didn’t qualify for the playoffs.
From finishing third on the table twice in a row, LSG slipped to 7th in 2024.
Ahead of the IPL 2025, LSG pressed the reset button. They parted ways with KL Rahul who led them in their first three seasons. The franchise splurged a record-breaking amount – Rs 27 crore – to acquire the services of Rishabh Pant who was expectedly appointed as their new captain.
However, their position on the table remained unchanged. They again finished seventh.
As Pant and co gear up for another season, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka has laid down the marker: playoffs not good enough, the team must win its first IPL trophy.
“I think the true identity is still evolving. For any sports team, until you win, you don’t receive the same level of respect or affection that comes with lifting the trophy. Yes, we’ve made the playoffs twice, but that’s clearly not good enough. You win some, you lose some, but we have to win our first trophy,” Goenka said on JioHotstar.
Goenka recently rejected rumours that LSG was mulling over the possibility of releasing Pant. In fact, he defended the wicketkeeper-batter citing that there was precious little he could’ve done as the team was hit by a spate of injuries.
While pointing out the positives from the last season, Goenka reckons their bowling unit needed strengthening which they have addressed.
“The positive (from IPL 2025) was that we won four of our first six games despite most of our frontline bowlers being injured. There were some bold moves, Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh opening, which isn’t their usual position, and it turned out to be their best IPL season for both of them. Digvesh Rathi came in as a complete newcomer and did well for us. However, we did realise that we lacked a strong bowling core, and we’ve consciously addressed that by building a domestic Indian bowling unit this time. We’re happy with what we have,” he said.
Goenka said he would like LSG to perform as a unit this year.
“You can always improve, aspire to do better, there’s no end to improving. But at the end of the day, this is a squad that has everything required. Now it’s about coming together and performing as a unit, rather than as individuals. Last year, there were too many individuals performing. This year, we want to perform as a team,” he added.
March 26, 2026, 12:37 IST
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