In this article, we take a look at the five domestic players who can make a difference for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
The Super Giants have been one of the most consistent franchises since joining the league alongside the Gujarat Titans in 2022. After two consecutive playoff runs in 2022 and 2023, the Sanjiv Goenka–led franchise missed out on a third consecutive playoff spot last year, losing out on net run rate last year.
This time round, with a new captain and a revamped squad, could the LSG finally get their hands on the IPL trophy?
Ravi Bishnoi
Ravi Bishnoi in recent times has emerged as Team India’s go-to T20 leg-spinner. The 24-year-old has done exceedingly well in leading the Indian spin-bowling department since last year’s T20 World Cup triumph.
As the Super Giants brace for another IPL season with a plethora of fast bowlers and pitches that’ll most likely give assistance to those seamers, a lot will be riding on Bishnoi’s shoulders as the lead spinner of the LSG attack.
On the pacer-friendly tracks of the Ekana Stadium last season, Bishnoi struggled to both take wickets and restrict the run flow, taking just ten wickets in 14 matches and going at 8.77 runs per over. However, in the build-up to this year’s IPL, the Rajasthan-born cricketer has been in decent form in the domestic circuit. He picked up seven wickets at an economy of 6.56 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and followed it up with 14 wickets in just seven matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT).
Mayank Yadav
Having missed his first two seasons with the Super Giants due to various long-term injuries, 22-year-old Mayank Yadav finally made his debut for them last year. His express pace and lethal bowling made him a constant menace for opposition batters right from the off, and if not for his hamstring injury it would have been a much different campaign for the Super Giants. However, just four games were enough for the LSG hierarchy to reward their express seamer with an INR 11-crore retention fee.
Looking at the current make-up of the LSG squad, it goes without saying that they’ll be producing fast and seamer-friendly wickets this time, too, and if they can keep the 22-year-old fit and firing, there’s no doubt it’ll be a much different campaign for them this time round.
Avesh Khan
After just one season with the Rajasthan Royals, the 28-year-old is back with the Super Giants. Having picked up 18 wickets in his first season with the LSG in 2022, Khan struggled with injuries and a lack of rhythm, playing just eight games all season the following year before donning the Royals’ pink last year.
Last year, the Madhya Pradesh seamer was one of the Royals’ lead seamers alongside Trent Boult. He played 15 games last season and bagged 19 wickets, going at 9.59 runs per over mostly due to his death-bowling responsibilities. In the lead-up to IPL 2025, he has picked up ten wickets in the SMAT and 11 wickets in just six VHT games.
Looking at the LSG team composition, it is very likely they will go with Mohsin Khan, Akash Deep, and Avesh Khan as their primary seamers, with Mayank Yadav coming in as the Impact Sub.
Shahbaz Ahmed
A prolific all-rounder who has, over time, immensely improved all facets of his game, Shahbaz Ahmed showcased his pedigree and reliability with impressive performances throughout the SunRisers Hyderabad’s run to the IPL final last season. The 30-year-old left-hander from Bengal contributed with both bat and ball last season, emerging as the go-to guy whenever the team needed him.
A wily left-arm finger spinner with the ability to bat anywhere in the middle order, Ahmed scored 215 runs and picked up seven wickets for the SRH last season. In recent times, he has become a reliable batter, having scored 297 runs in seven innings in the Bengal Pro T20 League last time round, which he followed up with 237 runs in six innings in the SMAT, striking at 176.
In Shahbaz Ahmed, the Super Giants may have just found the most suitable replacement for Krunal Pandya there is out there at the moment.
Arshin Kulkarni
Last year, Arshin Kulkarni was thrown into the deep end to test his resolve against some of the very best in the game. Although his two outings towards the business end of last season didn’t bear the LSG any fruits, a year of decent outings in both the SMAT and the VHT means there could be more opportunities for the 19-year-old in the LSG top order this time around.
In thirteen innings, Kulkarni scored 307 runs at a strike rate of 147 in last year’s Maharashtra Premier League. He backed this up with 194 runs in the SMAT, striking at 138. In the VHT, he only played in the knockout games, scoring 107 and 90 to solidify this great form.
Although Aiden Markram and Matthew Breetzke are the LSG’s opening options, only one of them is likely to start in the playing XI, leaving the other opening slot open for someone like Kulkarni.
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