Former India bowler Lakshmipathy Balaji has pointed out that Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are heavily dependent on their overseas trio of Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran. He added that the three players, along with Rishabh Pant, will have to do the heavy lifting for the side. The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 kicks off on March 28 with a match between defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru and SunRisers Hyderabad. Meanwhile, LSG start their campaign with a match against Delhi Capitals at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on April 1.
Following a disappointing seventh-place finish in the 2025 season, the Pant-led side will be hopeful of claiming their maiden title. Lucknow, meanwhile, didn’t make any radical changes to its squad during the mini-auction, apart from investing in young talents like Arjun Tendulkar. In the overseas category, the team bid on Josh Inglis and Matthew Breetzke.
“The top order, especially with Marsh, Aiden Markram, and of course Pooran, is stacked. They have given solid starts and out-batted the opposition on multiple occasions last season. The concerns were the bowling, the captaincy, and the tactical side of the leadership group. They definitely depend heavily on their overseas trio of batters,” Balaji told Jio Hotstar.
“You have the likes of Badoni, Abdul Samad, and Shahbaz Ahmed, all of whom can chip in. But the top order and Rishabh Pant will have to do the heavy lifting. On the overseas combination, normally I would pick three batters, so the first-choice players, Marsh, Markram, and Pooran, walk in,” he added.
According to the former CSK star, if Wanindu Hasaranga is available, he will be the team’s first choice for an overseas bowler, while Anrich Nortje could be included in the playing XI in place of the Sri Lanka bowler for the time being.
“Then, you need to strengthen the bowling attack with one overseas fast bowler, as we are still unsure whether Hasaranga will be fully fit or not. If not, Anrich Nortje would be my choice as the fourth overseas player,” he said.
According to the 20-match schedule released by the BCCI, LSG will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Delhi Capitals at their home ground, the Ekana Stadium, on April 1.
(With IANS Inputs)