As the 2026 IPL season draws closer, Lucknow Super Giants will need to rebound from their disappointing performance during the last season. The Super Giants created a strong roster from the mini-auction of IPL 2026, but they still have multiple obstacles to tackle going forward into next season.
Under the captaincy of star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who was the most expensive buy in the history of the Indian Premier League, the Super Giants finished 7th in the Indian Premier League 2025 season, winning only 6 out of 14 matches.
Three major weaknesses in Lucknow Super Giants
1. Lack of Depth in the Spin Department
The Lucknow Super Giants do not have the greatest depth when it comes to spinners within their squad and therefore rely heavily on their main spinner, Wanindu Hasaranga.
Hasaranga is widely-regarded as one of the best leg-spinners in the world and has a great ability to take wickets during the middle overs. The fact that the Super Giants only have one quality leg-spinner to rely on will be a concern for them at this year’s edition of the IPL. where many of the venues have spinning tracks.
The concerns of LSG were compounded when they decided to release Ravi Bishnoi before the auction. Digvesh Rathi had himself a great year in IPL 2025 taking 14 wickets in 13 games, but he has yet to play at the international level so there are still concerns about his ability to compete at this level.
On top of that, they were even more concerned with Wanindu Hasaranga who has also recently dealt with injury and will likely run out of time to be ready for IPL 2026 after being ruled out of the ICC Mens Twenty20 Cricket World Championship during that same time frame. If Wanindu Hasaranga is indeed ruled out, it will leave LSG’s spin department extremely vulnerable.
2. Injury-Prone Pace Bowling Attack
The bowlers’ conditioning is another area where the Lucknow Super Giants lack strength as a team overall; while they may have an impressive fast bowling lineup on paper, several of their players have been out injured recently and therefore unable to perform at anywhere near full capacity.
The pace unit includes:
Mohammed Shami
Avesh Khan
Mayank Yadav
Mohsin Khan
Anrich Nortje
Both Avesh Khan and Mohsin Khan are currently recovering from injuries. Young fast bowler Mayank Yadav has already faced many injury setbacks in the early days of his career.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami is still working his way back into top gear after having surgery on his ankle following the 2023 Cricket World Cup. He has not been particularly successful in T20 cricket since returning. Similarly, South African speedster Anrich Nortje has also faced fitness concerns.
In the IPL 2025 season, LSG has struggled a lot as Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, and Mayank Yadav were absent for a majority of the season. If injuries occur again in the 2026 season, the team’s bowling department would be in trouble.
3. Difficult Overseas Player Selection
The third weakness in Lucknow Super Giants is in choosing the right combination of overseas players. There are many top players in LSG; however, only four of these international superstars will be able to play at any one time in accordance to the IPL applicable limit of four non-Indian players per team.
Some of the key foreign players on the squad are:
– Aiden Markram
– Mitchell Marsh
– Nicholas Pooran
– Josh Inglis
– Wanindu Hasaranga
– Anrich Nortje
Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, and Nicholas Pooran are all expected to be regular members of their teams for this tournament. Nevertheless, Marsh is currently struggling for form, and Josh Inglis may miss games because of his wedding.
A larger selection issue for these teams could be whether to select Wanindu Hasaranga or Anrich Nortje. If LSG choose Anrich Nortje in order to strengthen their pace attack, their ability to value their spin attack when the Indian spinners are injured will be made difficult.
Similarly, if LSG select Wanindu Hasaranga, they may weaken their ability to support their pace attack if their Indian bowlers were to become injured.
IPL 2026 Lucknow Super Giants Squads
Batsmen
Rishabh Pant (c)
Aiden Markram
Himmat Singh
Matthew Breetzke
Mukul Choudhary
Akshat Raghuwanshi
Josh Inglis
Nicholas Pooran
All-rounders
Mitchell Marsh
Abdul Samad
Shahbaz Ahmed
Arshin Kulkarni
Wanindu Hasaranga
Ayush Badoni
Bowlers
Mohammed Shami
Avesh Khan
M. Siddharth
Digvesh Rathi
Akash Singh
Prince Yadav
Arjun Tendulkar
Anrich Nortje
Naman Tiwari
Mayank Yadav
Mohsin Khan
Predictions for the Starting XI for LSG for IPL 2023
The expected opening lineup of the Lucknow Super Giants for IPL 2026 is:
Aiden Markram
Mitchell Marsh
Nicholas Pooran
Rishabh Pant (WK/C)
Shahbaz Ahmed
Abdul Samad
Wanindu Hasaranga
Digvesh Rathi
Avesh Khan
Mohammed Shami
Mayank Yadav
Mohsin Khan
Impact Substitute: Ayush Badoni
ALSO READ: ICC World Test Championship Winners List (2019-2025)
