The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is just around the corner, as the teams gear up for the final lap before the tournament starts on March 28, Saturday. Reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will be facing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the first game of the rich cash league.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are one of the newest teams in the IPL. LSG was introduced in 2022, and only two times in their history. These appearances occurred consecutively in their first two seasons, 2022 and 2023. Since then, they have failed to qualify in the top 4 of the tournament.
LSG have the highest-paid player in IPL history; they bought Rishabh Pant ahead of IPL 2025 for a whopping price of INR 27 crore. However, despite a good batting lineup, they could not qualify for the knockout stages and finished 7th in the league table with just 12 points.
Your daily dose of cricket!
This season, they do not have the firepower in their bowling to go through the next round. In this article, we find out the players who are LSG’s biggest burden in IPL 2026.
3 players who are LSG’s biggest burden in IPL 2026
Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami has been one of the finest bowlers in world cricket. However, the pacer has not been as effective in T20s as he is in ODIs and Test matches. He has also been out of the India National Cricket Team for some time now. Shami bowled well in the Ranji Trophy; his form in T20s is a concern.
Shami has been traded from Sunrisers Hyderabad for the IPL 2026 season. The deal was to be an all-cash trade worth INR 10 crore. Mohammed Shami’s injury will also be a concern for the LSG side, as he has suffered from injuries in recent times. Shami is the only experienced Indian pacer in the franchise he will have a huge responsibility on his back.
Nicholas Pooran
Nicholas Pooran has retired from international cricket and only plays franchise cricket across the world. The West Indies batter was excellent last season and almost single-handedly won games for the franchise. He scored 524 runs in 14 matches. He maintained a remarkable strike rate of 196.25 and an average of 43.67.
Now, Pooran, being out of the international games, his flow from last year might also have disappeared. He might have drained all his energy playing in different leagues and will not be able to perform like last year. If Pooran falters, it would be a huge setback for the franchise.
Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant has been doing his practice since recovering from the injury. The Southpaw was a flop last season as monetary pressure was on his back. He failed to deliver for the side as a captain and as a batter as well.
Though Pant scored a hundred in the last match of IPL against RCB, he has not played T20 cricket much, as he is not a part of India’s T20 setup or a regular starter in the ODI setup as well. Rishabh Pant’s 27 crore pressure will be there, and his form is going to be a concern for LSG this season as well.
Also Read: Rinku Singh gets major role for KKR ahead of IPL 2026