3 min readMar 25, 2026 06:48 PM IST
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka has said that making it to the IPL playoffs is “not good enough” for a team like LSG. One of the youngest teams in the league, Lucknow have made the playoffs of the IPL a couple of times, but Goenka believes there is enough pedigree for them to go all the way this time around.
“I think our true identity is still evolving. For any sports team, until you get victory, you don’t receive the same level of respect or affection that comes with lifting the trophy,” the LSG owner said in a conversation with JioHotstar ahead of the start of IPL 2026. “Yes, we’ve made the playoffs twice, but that’s clearly not good enough. You win some, you lose some, but we have to win our first trophy.”
Goenka also pointed out how in IPL 2025, LSG had coped with multiple injuries to their frontline bowlers.
“The positive (from last season) was that we won four of our first six games despite most of our frontline bowlers being injured. There were some bold moves, Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh opening, which isn’t their usual position, and it turned out to be their best IPL season for both of them. Digvesh Rathi came in as a complete newcomer and did well for us. However, we did realise that we lacked a strong bowling core, and we’ve consciously addressed that by building a domestic Indian bowling unit this time. We’re happy with what we have. You can always improve, aspire to do better, there’s no end to improving. But at the end of the day, this is a squad that has everything required. Now it’s about coming together and performing as a unit, rather than as individuals. Last year, there were too many individuals performing. This year, we want to perform as a team,” the LSG owner said.
Meanwhile, LSG Global Director of Cricket Tom Moody explained that for the franchise’s support staff the focus before the season started was on their Indian domestic pace-bowling attack.
“Having spoken to everyone, it’s very clear that the preparation leading into 2025 wasn’t as good as it could have been. We had a number of players who were underdone, fitness-wise. The squad and balance we have now, include a strong, high-quality domestic fast-bowling attack, which we’ve added to smartly in the off-season through a trade for Mohammed Shami, who can lead that group and show the way forward. All the areas we felt needed improvement have been addressed, including bringing in a new medical team. At this point, all our fast bowlers are giving us a selection headache, which is exactly what you want going into the first game,” said Moody.
