Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) team, including captain Rishabh Pant and franchise chairman Sanjiv Goenka, sought blessings at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, which kicks off on March 28.
The team shared a photo of the visit to the sacred site, with a caption stating, “Dr. Sanjiv Goenka visits Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya with captain Rishabh Pant and other squad members for blessings.”
LSG has had a varied performance history in the IPL. Led by KL Rahul in 2022, they made it to the playoffs but were knocked out in the eliminator. In the 2023 season, they reached the second round but faced elimination in the eliminator once more, with Krunal Pandya taking over captaincy later in the season.
In IPL 2024, under Rahul’s leadership, LSG couldn’t progress beyond the league stage. Subsequently, Rahul was released before the IPL 2025 mega-auction. The team made a record bid of Rs 27 crore for Rishabh Pant, who became the costliest player in IPL history and was appointed as captain.
Pant-led LSG had a challenging IPL season, managing only six wins in 14 matches. Their performance declined in the latter part of the season, suffering four consecutive losses that impacted their standings. The season concluded with a defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Rishabh Pant, the captain, faced struggles with the bat, scoring 269 runs in 13 innings, including one century and one half-century during the season.
Looking ahead to IPL 2026, Lucknow aims to reach their first final. They are scheduled to begin their season against Delhi Capitals on April 1, followed by matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 5, Kolkata Knight Riders on April 9, and Gujarat Titans on April 12, as per the initial schedule released by the BCCI.
