Lucknow Super Giants will hope they can return to the top half of the IPL standings with a new emblem that represents courage, pride and responsibility.
Among the two new babies on the block in the IPL, Lucknow are the side more in search of an identity or a method of cricket. And of course, their maiden title.
The then teal blue-themed outfit landed back-to-back playoff finishes in their first two seasons, but lost pace in 2024 and 2025, finishing in seventh place on both occasions.
LSG roped in India stalwart Mohammad Shami pre-auction, and foiled their squad with the big-money signing of Australian wicketkeeper Josh Inglis for INR 8.60 Cr. A fearsome front three and a pace battery with promise, can Lucknow mark their territory on this grand stage in 2026?
Also read: SRH IPL 2026 Preview: Batting Behemoths In Search of Second Title
LSG Squad - IPL 2026
Rishabh Pant (c), Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Arshin Kulkarni, Matthew Breetzke, Mukul Choudhary, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ayush Badoni, Mohammad Shami, Avesh Khan, M. Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar, Anrich Nortje, Naman Tiwari, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan.
A team of two halves
No team scored more runs that Lucknow in 2025. Simultaneously, no team conceded more either.
Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran put many a bowler to the sword, but their own couldn't back their excellence up on the field. Each of the three present variety in stroke play, several gears, and the indispensable power game for the format.
Each of them are or have been mainstays in their national side with captaincy credentials. They bring exactly what had been missing on the bowling front - vast experience to the table.
Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan and Avesh Khan have all knocked on the door of the Indian team, only to be cruelly beset with injuries. They can be unplayable on their day, but none of them are names that would intimidate an opponent's dressing room when they aren't bowling at full throttle.
Their problems swell with Wanindu Hasaranga's availability unclear. LSG are ultimately over-reliant on their uncapped star tweaker Digvesh Rathi.
Fast bowlers to set the benchmark
Shami's inclusion and Anrich Nortje present that missing experience on the table. Shami, who has been sidelined by the Indian setup, set the field ablaze in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, bagging 16 wickets from seven matches. He then compounded his stocks with an impressive 50-over domestic season.
Nortje, meanwhile, is one of many other express pace bowlers Lucknow adore. He struck 18 times in the SA20 concluded in January, and finished the World Cup with a tidy economy of 7.13, taking three wickets in two games playing as a second-string option to Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada.
Lucknow already have Prince Yadav's yorkers to rely on, along with two wily left-arm fast bowlers in Arjun Tendulkar and Akash Singh. All of their pacers are under one umbrella - Bharat Arun - who built an Indian test team known for their relentless with the ball, under Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli.
Pressure on Pant to deliver
Not just technically, but strategically, Arun could elevate the game of his fast bowlers.
But it all relies on Rishabh Pant. All too often last season, when his pacers went for plenty, he would switch to plans B and C and throw the ball to Digvesh.
It almost felt as though he was pressing the panic button too soon. It also had a chastening effect on the 28-year-old's batting, as he only managed 151 runs from 13 matches excluding the century he smashed against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
There is widespread speculation of a move up the other, perhaps a swap with Pooran at number three. Whether that spells promise for LSG on the field or not, remains to be seen. After all, it's their bowling that needs to be looked after, both personnel-wise and tactically.
Also read: DC IPL 2026 Preview: Can Stacked Capitals Break The 'Nearly-Men' Tag?
LSG Predicted XI
Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmad, Avesh Khan, Mohammad Shami, Anrich Nortje, Mayank Yadav. Impact Player: Digvesh Rathi.
LSG Season Predictions
League Position: 9th
Top Run Scorer: Mitchell Marsh
Top Wicket Taker: Mohammad Shami
