Lucknow Super Giants had some tough calls to make before the auction. They kept faith in 17 players from their existing team. The Abu Dhabi mini-auction happened on December 16, 2025.
LSG’s previous IPL season didn’t go as planned honestly. But the team management decided to stick with most players anyway. Sometimes you’ve got to trust your core group through rough patches.
Some big names left the franchise before IPL 2026 started. David Miller, Ravi Bishnoi, and Akash Deep all got released. Shardul Thakur moved to Mumbai Indians through a trade deal.
Pre-Auction Moves and Budget
Mohammed Shami joined LSG through a trade before the auction began. Arjun Tendulkar also came in the same way. These moves showed the team had a clear strategy brewing.
Zaheer Khan coached the team for just one season before leaving. Bharat Arun took over as LSG’s new bowling coach for IPL 2026. Fresh coaching voices often bring different ideas to the table.
The retention and trade costs ate up Rs 102.5 crore from their budget. That left LSG with Rs 22.95 crore for auction shopping. Not the biggest purse around, but enough for smart buys.
Smart Auction Strategy
LSG spent Rs 18.4 crore on six new players at the auction. Josh Inglis became their most expensive buy at Rs 8.6 crore. The Australian wicketkeeper won’t be available for the full season though.
Why pay so much for limited availability then? LSG thinks long-term about their team building. Securing Inglis now helps them for future IPL seasons too. That’s pretty smart planning actually.
Three international stars joined – Inglis, Anrich Nortje, and Wanindu Hasaranga. Three uncapped Indians also signed up: Mukul Choudhary, Akshat Raghuwanshi, and Naman Tiwari.
| Player | Role / Notes |
|---|---|
| Aiden Markram | Batter |
| Mitchell Marsh | All-rounder |
| Nicholas Pooran | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Rishabh Pant (C & WK) | Captain & Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Ayush Badoni | Batter |
| Abdul Samad | Batter/Finisher |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | All-rounder / Leg-spin |
| Mayank Yadav | Pace Bowler |
| Mohammed Shami | Pace Bowler |
| Digvesh Rathi | Leg-spin |
| Avesh Khan | Pace Bowler |
Title Hopes Rest on Star Duo
Rishabh Pant and Nicholas Pooran will carry LSG’s batting hopes in IPL 2026. Both explosive left-handers can change games within a few overs. The team badly needs them to fire together.
LSG’s strongest playing 11 looks balanced on paper now. The team has Rs 4.55 crore still sitting unused. That money might come in handy for emergency signings if injuries hit.
