At a galnce
- Lucknow Super Giants are one of the IPL’s youngest teams and reached the Eliminator in their first two seasons but are still chasing a first title
- Leadership changes including KL Rahul to Rishabh Pant and the arrival of Justin Langer have started a new era
- Recent seasons have been inconsistent especially with batting but a strong fanbase and young squad give hope for the future
The Lucknow Super Giants were bought by the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group and entered into the IPL in 2022, alongside the Gujarat Titans after the leagues expansion.
Under the leadership of Rishabh Pant who is serving as captain at LSG for the second season running. LSG have a whole host of talent up and down the team, with the experience of Mohammed Shami, Mitch Marsh and Aiden Markram. As well as young talent, with the likes of Prince Yadav, Ayush Badoni and Mukul Choudhary.
This young and exciting franchise will be hoping to break their duck and win the teams first IPL title and become the ninth different side to do so.
The Birth of the Luckow Super Giants
The RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group bought the Lucknow Super Giants for ₹7,090 crore in October 2021 and officially announced the team name in January 2022 through a fan contest.
A strong foundation was in place in the first couple seasons. With KL Rahul as captain and Andy FLower has head coach they found their way into the Eliminator playoffs. They did end up losing both, first to RCB and then to MI but the signs of a great team were in place.
Highs and Lows of the Debut Season
In their first season LSG had a superb league phase. Finishing third out of the ten teams as KL Rahul and Quiton De Kock went on to finish second and third in the batting standings.
The Lucknow Super Giants faced Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator, where Rajat Patidar powered RCB with an unbeaten 112 off 54 balls. KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda fought back with a valiant effort, but RCB held on to win by 14 runs.
You can view that games scorecard here
Owners Publically Criticised KL Rahul
Following the franchies second season in the IPL there was drama between KL Rahul and the owner, Sanjiv Goenka. After a 10-wicket loss to the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Sanjiv Goenka publicly berated the captain and then released him from the Lucknow Super Giants at the end of the season after the team failed to make the playoffs.
Lucknow Super Giants IPL Performance Record
| Season | Round | Table Standing | Matches Played | Won | Lost | NR | Win% | Most Runs | Most Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Playoffs | 3rd | 15 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 60.00 | KL Rahul (616) | Avesh Khan (18) |
| 2023 | Playoffs | 3rd | 15 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 53.33 | Marcus Stoinis (408) | Ravi Bishnoi (16) |
| 2024 | League | 7th | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 50.00 | KL Rahul (520) | Naveen-ul-Haq (14) |
| 2025 | League | 7th | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 42.86 | Mitchell Marsh (627) | Shardul Thakur (13) |
A New-Look for the Lucknow Super Giants
Andy Flower left his role as head coach in 2023 after his two year contract ended. Justin Langer was appointed as the new head coach. Then the next year KL Rahul was released. Rishabh Pant was given the captaincy and the new era at LSG got under way.
Loyal Lucknow Following
The Super Giants have a fierce following, constantly filling the 50,000 capacity Ekana International Cricket Stadium to near full capacity every home game.
Recent Struggles on the Field
Despite a promising first couple of seasons, LSG have struggled to replicate anything similar since. So fans would have hoped to see their team push on further into the competition. However the complete opposite has happened and LSG have failed to reach the playoffs for two consecutive seasons. And very much looks like it’ll be three at the time of writing.
Looking at the current season LSG have won just twice in seven games. Their big glaring problem at the moment is their batting statistics.Opponents have bowled out the Lucknow Super Giants three times, and the team has reached 200+ just once (scoring exactly 200).
Light at the End of the Tunnel
Despite LSG having a hard time of it at the moment there is always a reason to look forward to the future. Justin Langer is a serial winner, not just as a player but also as a coach. Having retained the Ashes for three consecutive series, as well as winning the 2021 T20 World Cup for Australia.
Rishabh Pant is the leagues third youngest captain and still has many years ahead of him in the IPL. LSG have an opportunity to build a great squad around these two in the years to come.
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