Two playoff appearances in 2022 and 2023 had LSG looking like genuine contenders. Then came back-to-back seventh-place finishes in 2024 and 2025, six wins from 14 games in the last season, and a home record at Ekana that has been a problem since day one.
The rebuild starts on 1 April when Rishabh Pant leads LSG out against Delhi Capitals at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
Rs. 102.05 Cr spent pre-auction across retentions and trades. Rs. 18.40 Cr at the Mini Auction. 25 players, 7 overseas, Rs. 4.55 Cr still unspent.
LSG IPL 2026 Schedule
LSG open at home and face three of their first four fixtures on the road. The schedule below reflects confirmed matches as per the official IPL website.
| Match | Date | Time (IST) | Fixture | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match 5 | Wed, 1 Apr | 7:30 PM | LSG vs DC | BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow |
| Match 10 | Sun, 5 Apr | 3:30 PM | SRH vs LSG | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad |
| Match 15 | Thu, 9 Apr | 7:30 PM | KKR vs LSG | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| Match 19 | Sun, 12 Apr | 3:30 PM | LSG vs GT | BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow |
A home game against GT on 12 April gives LSG an early chance to bank points at Ekana before the schedule gets more demanding.
Lucknow Super Giants Full Squad for IPL 2026
The pre-auction spend of Rs. 102.05 Cr covered 17 direct retentions and two trades, Mohammed Shami from SRH and Arjun Tendulkar from MI.
Six slots were filled at the Mini Auction for Rs. 18.40 Cr, leaving Rs. 4.55 Cr unspent.
| Player | Role | Status | Price | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rishabh Pant | Wicket Keeper | Retained | Rs. 27.00 Cr | India |
| Nicholas Pooran | Wicket Keeper | Retained | Rs. 21.00 Cr | West Indies |
| Mayank Yadav | Bowler | Retained | Rs. 11.00 Cr | India |
| Mohammed Shami | Bowler | Traded | Rs. 10.00 Cr | India |
| Avesh Khan | Bowler | Retained | Rs. 9.75 Cr | India |
| Josh Inglis | Wicket Keeper | Auctioned | Rs. 8.60 Cr | Australia |
| Abdul Samad | Batter | Retained | Rs. 4.20 Cr | India |
| Ayush Badoni | Batter | Retained | Rs. 4.00 Cr | India |
| Mohsin Khan | Bowler | Retained | Rs. 4.00 Cr | India |
| Mitchell Marsh | All-rounder | Retained | Rs. 3.40 Cr | Australia |
| Mukul Choudhary | Wicket Keeper | Auctioned | Rs. 2.60 Cr | India |
| Shahbaz Ahmed | All-rounder | Retained | Rs. 2.40 Cr | India |
| Akshat Raghuwanshi | Batter | Auctioned | Rs. 2.20 Cr | India |
| Aiden Markram | Batter | Retained | Rs. 2.00 Cr | South Africa |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | All-rounder | Auctioned | Rs. 2.00 Cr | Sri Lanka |
| Anrich Nortje | Bowler | Auctioned | Rs. 2.00 Cr | South Africa |
| Naman Tiwari | Bowler | Auctioned | Rs. 1.00 Cr | India |
| Matthew Breetzke | Wicket Keeper | Retained | Rs. 75.00 L | South Africa |
| Manimaran Siddharth | Bowler | Retained | Rs. 75.00 L | India |
| Himmat Singh | Batter | Retained | Rs. 30.00 L | India |
| Arjun Tendulkar | All-rounder | Traded | Rs. 30.00 L | India |
| Arshin Kulkarni | All-rounder | Retained | Rs. 30.00 L | India |
| Digvesh Singh Rathi | Bowler | Retained | Rs. 30.00 L | India |
| Prince Yadav | Bowler | Retained | Rs. 30.00 L | India |
| Akash Singh | Bowler | Retained | Rs. 30.00 L | India |
The squad covers all departments with enough depth to manage injuries across a 14-game season.
Key Players LSG Are Banking On in IPL 2026
Stats only. Here is what each player actually brings to this group.
| Player | Why They Matter |
|---|---|
| Rishabh Pant | Captain. Retained at Rs. 27 Cr. 269 runs in 13 innings in IPL 2025, average 24.45. His 118* vs RCB was the only big knock that season. |
| Nicholas Pooran | 1,381 runs from 43 matches between 2023 and 2025. Hit 524 runs in IPL 2025 at a strike rate of 196.25. |
| Mitchell Marsh | 627 runs in IPL 2025, average 48.23, strike rate 163.70. Scored 117 vs GT on 22 May 2025. |
| Aiden Markram | 445 runs in IPL 2025, average 34.23, strike rate 148.82. Holds the top order together. |
| Mohammed Shami | Traded from SRH. Took 68 wickets across all three formats for Bengal in just 27 innings in the domestic season before this IPL. |
| Mayank Yadav | Retained at Rs. 11 Cr. Among the quickest bowlers in the competition. Missed large parts of IPL 2025 through injury. |
| Avesh Khan | 39 wickets from 35 matches for LSG between 2022 and 2025. Cleared fit ahead of IPL 2026. |
Pooran, Marsh, and Markram give LSG three proven match-winners in the top half of the order alone.
LSG IPL Records From 2022 to 2025
Every significant record this franchise has built across four seasons, from top performers to team highs and lows.
Season by Season Finishes
The pattern splits cleanly in half. Two good seasons followed by two that undid most of that progress.
| IPL Edition | Finish | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7th | League stage |
| 2024 | 7th | League stage |
| 2023 | 3rd | Playoffs |
| 2022 | 3rd | Playoffs |
Top Run Scorers and Wicket Takers
Three of LSG’s top five run-scorers have left the franchise. Avesh and Mohsin are the only bowlers from the top five wicket-takers still in the 2026 squad.
| Player | Role | Span | Matches | Runs / Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KL Rahul | Batter | 2022–2024 | 38 | 1,410 runs |
| Nicholas Pooran | Batter | 2023–2025 | 43 | 1,381 runs |
| Ayush Badoni | Batter | 2022–2025 | 56 | 963 runs |
| Marcus Stoinis | Batter | 2022–2024 | 40 | 952 runs |
| Quinton de Kock | Batter | 2022–2024 | 30 | 901 runs |
| Ravi Bishnoi | Bowler | 2022–2025 | 54 | 48 wickets |
| Avesh Khan | Bowler | 2022–2025 | 35 | 39 wickets |
| Mohsin Khan | Bowler | 2022–2024 | 24 | 27 wickets |
| Krunal Pandya | Bowler | 2022–2024 | 43 | 25 wickets |
| Naveen ul Haq | Bowler | 2023–2024 | 18 | 25 wickets |
Mohsin’s 27 wickets from just 24 matches is the best wickets-per-game ratio among LSG bowlers in franchise history.
Highest Individual Scores and Best Bowling Figures
De Kock’s 140* from 2022 is still the batting benchmark. Both five-wicket hauls in franchise history came at Ekana. Neither Wood nor Yash Thakur is part of the 2026 squad.
| Player | Performance | Opposition | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinton de Kock | 140* | KKR | 18 May 2022 | Mumbai |
| Marcus Stoinis | 124* | CSK | 23 Apr 2024 | Chennai |
| Rishabh Pant | 118* | RCB | 27 May 2025 | Lucknow |
| Mitchell Marsh | 117 | GT | 22 May 2025 | Ahmedabad |
| KL Rahul | 103* | MI | 16 Apr 2022 | Mumbai |
| Mark Wood | 5/14 | DC | 01 Apr 2023 | Lucknow |
| Yash Thakur | 5/30 | GT | 07 Apr 2024 | Lucknow |
| Mohsin Khan | 4/16 | DC | 01 May 2022 | Mumbai |
| Avesh Khan | 4/24 | SRH | 04 Apr 2022 | Mumbai |
| Shardul Thakur | 4/34 | SRH | 27 Mar 2025 | Hyderabad |
Four of the five highest individual innings in franchise history were unbeaten knocks.
Highest and Lowest Team Totals
Three of LSG’s five highest scores came in IPL 2025, which shows batting was not the problem that season. Three of their five lowest scores came at home in Lucknow.
| Total | Type | Opposition | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 257/5 | Highest | PBKS | 28 Apr 2023 | Mohali |
| 238/3 | Highest | KKR | 08 Apr 2025 | Kolkata |
| 235/2 | Highest | GT | 22 May 2025 | Ahmedabad |
| 227/3 | Highest | RCB | 27 May 2025 | Lucknow |
| 214/6 | Highest | MI | 17 May 2024 | Mumbai |
| 82 | Lowest | GT | 10 May 2022 | Pune |
| 101 | Lowest | MI | 24 May 2023 | Chennai |
| 108 | Lowest | RCB | 01 May 2023 | Lucknow |
| 128/7 | Lowest | GT | 22 Apr 2023 | Lucknow |
| 137 | Lowest | KKR | 05 May 2024 | Lucknow |
Ekana has featured in both the good and bad ends of this table. Fixing the home record is one of the clearest targets for IPL 2026.
LSG Coaching Staff for IPL 2026
Justin Langer heads the support group this season, backed by coaches and advisors who collectively bring decades of international experience.
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Justin Langer |
| Director of Cricket | Tom Moody |
| Mentor | Zaheer Khan |
| Strategic Advisor | Kane Williamson |
| Bowling Coach | Bharat Arun |
| Spin Bowling Coach | Carl Crowe |
Williamson and Langer both know what winning looks like at the highest level.
Who Owns the Lucknow Super Giants?
RPSG Sports Private Limited owns the Lucknow Super Giants, with Dr. Sanjiv Goenka as chairman since the franchise was formed.
RPSG secured the LSG bid in 2021 for Rs. 7,090 crore. The group operates across power, retail, entertainment, and sports.
Dr. Goenka has been the driving force behind the franchise from the start. Two straight playoff misses have raised the stakes heading into 2026.
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Conclusion: LSG IPL 2026 Season Opens on 1 April at Ekana
Four seasons tell a straightforward story. LSG is good enough to reach the playoffs. They have done it twice. They are not yet consistent enough to stay there.
Pant averaged 24.45 in IPL 2025, with one innings carrying the rest. Shami is a real addition. The coaching group is experienced. But the squad had quality in 2024 and 2025, too. What changes this time is what the season will reveal.
It starts on 1 April against the Delhi Capitals at Ekana.
FAQs
LSG have not won an IPL title. They have played four seasons since 2022 and are still chasing their first.
RPSG Sports Private Limited owns the Lucknow Super Giants. Dr. Sanjiv Goenka serves as chairman of the franchise.
KL Rahul leads with 1,410 runs from 38 matches between 2022 and 2024.
Ravi Bishnoi holds the record with 48 wickets from 54 matches between 2022 and 2025.
LSG scored 257/5 against Punjab Kings on 28 April 2023 in Mohali.
Quinton de Kock scored 140* against the Kolkata Knight Riders on 18 May 2022 in Mumbai.
Yes. Rishabh Pant has been retained as captain of Lucknow Super Giants for IPL 2026 at Rs. 27.00 Cr.
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