Lucknow Super Giants are only four seasons old in the IPL, yet the numbers already tell a mixed story: 30 wins, 28 losses, two playoff trips, and—crucially—back-to-back seventh-place finishes. Their 2026 campaign opened with another stumble, a 19-run defeat to Delhi Capitals at Ekana, and former India batter Abhinav Mukund is not convinced the franchise knows what it wants to be.
“I’m very unsure about LSG,” Mukund told ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut. “They are a very young side in the IPL. So are Gujarat Titans [also formed in 2022], who are slowly building an identity towards who they are. They might have lost their first game [in 2026] but you know what Gujarat Titans will come up with on a certain day. They are top heavy. They rely on their bowlers. They rely on their experience in the middle in terms of their spinners. With Lucknow, you always feel like there is no identity within the team.”
The former opener likes parts of the squad—Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram add heft in the top three, while Mark Wood can wreck sides in a burst—but he sees too many gaps once the early fireworks die down. “You expect performances from the top, you expect a sudden performance, like a Mark Wood sometimes comes up and picks up five wickets. You want those individual brilliant performances to drive your team. It’s always been the case for Lucknow.”
Tuesday night offered evidence. LSG were hustled out for 141 in 18.4 overs after experimenting with Rishabh Pant at the top and pushing Nicholas Pooran from a productive No. 3 role to No. 5. The reshuffle never settled. More puzzling, in Mukund’s eyes, was the decision to omit left-arm spinner Digvesh Rathi. The 23-year-old finished as their leading wicket-taker last season after Ravi Bishnoi was released, a move widely read as a vote of confidence in Rathi.
“Even today, I felt the balance of the team was pretty off, seven batters and four bowlers,” Mukund said. “And then you had to sacrifice your find of last season. I know he may not have followed that up with an excellent domestic season. He’s not been amongst the wickets. He’s not had a great domestic season but that doesn’t mean – you’ve released Bishnoi which means you’ve had your faith in Digvesh Rathi and said ‘okay, you are my number one spinner and you don’t play him the first match.'”
Conditions in Lucknow did favour the seamers—there was grass on the pitch, humidity under lights, and the new ball zipped about—but the broader point stands: LSG are still tinkering when rivals already know their own scripts.
A quick turnaround awaits. On Sunday they face Sunrisers Hyderabad in an afternoon fixture, likely to be warmer and slower. Another reshuffle, or a clearer statement of intent? We’ll find out soon enough.
