The IPL 2026 is all set to kick off from March 28. So far, the schedule of only first 20 matches has been released due to state elections.
Ahead of the league, Lucknow Super Giants` (LSG) head coach Justin Langer spoke about captain Rishabh Pant`s nature in the team. He also stated that once Pant starts showcasing his skills, there won`t be any other exciting player in the world to watch.
“If we see Rishabh laughing, smiling and having fun, he’ll be a brilliant captain, and that’s what we learned last year. He joined a new franchise, trying hard to impress, which is natural. But we’re already seeing a lighter Rishabh. He knows the players now and we’ve got his back. He’s smiling a lot and dancing. When he’s like that and starts playing cricket, there’s no one more exciting to watch in the world. I can’t wait to work with him again. He’s got such a nice heart, energy, and he’s relaxed. That makes him dangerous,” he said on JioStar.
The head coach also said that ace pacer Mohammed Shami is mentoring the young players. He also heaped praise on Shami by saying that the pacer is incredibly experienced and a true warrior.
“During the team lunch, Mohammed Shami was speaking and all the boys were hanging on his every word, their eyes never left him. He’s incredibly experienced, a true warrior. We often discuss big brother-little brother or master-apprentice dynamics in coaching, and that’s exactly what we have here,” said Langer.
LSG will begin their IPL 2026 campaign by playing a clash against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
IPL 2026, Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals: Full Squads
Lucknow Super Giants: Mitchell Marsh, Mohammed Shami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anrich Nortje, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Aiden Markram, Avesh Khan, Wanindu Hasaranga, Himmar Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), Josh Inglis (WK), M Siddharth, Moshin Khan, Ayush Badoni, Arjun Tendulkar, Akash Singh, Abdul Samad, Arshin Kulkarni, Naman Tiwari, Akshat Raghuvanshi, Mayank Yadav, M Choudhary (WK), Prince Yadav, Digvesh Rathi.
Delhi Capitals: David Miller, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, KL Rahul (WK), Karun Nair, Axar Patel (C), Ben Duckett (WK), Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Rana, Kyle Jamieson, Lungi Ngidi, T. Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Pathum Nissanka, Ajay Mandal, Prithvi Shaw, Ashutosh Sharma, Auqib Nabi, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Abhishek Porel (WK), Vipraj Nigam, Tripurana Vijay, Sahil Parakh, Madhav Tiwari.
