LSG IPL Auction 2026 Review: Why Lucknow Super Giants remain top-heavy despite a busy auction

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had a few things going for them, in terms of their squad, but they entered the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction knowing they still had to find the right combination, having struggled to nail down a playoff berth in the 2025 edition.

Unfortunately for them, they could not fix the problems that existed. They still brought a few good players on board, but their availability, plus their injury records, do not make for pleasant reading. That Josh Inglis, who LSG spent Rs 8.6 crore on, is expected to only play a handful of games, perhaps sums up how their auction went.

Apart from that, they did get Anrich Nortje and Wanindu Hasaranga at their respective base prices, which should provide them with more options than last season. There were a few uncapped picks too, with Mukul Choudhary and Akshat Raghuwanshi costing them more than Rs 2 crore. Nawan Tiwari, meanwhile, was signed for Rs 1 crore.

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LSG 2026 squad: Biggest strength

Their top order, unquestionably. Any side that has one of Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran and Rishabh Pant can lay claim to that. LSG just happen to have all four, with their team combination suggesting that on most days, they will be unleashed in tandem, which will not be music to opposition bowlers’ ears.

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This quartet is also quite experienced in leadership terms. Markram is South Africa’s T20I captain, with Marsh also leading Australia in the format. Pooran, too, had a tenure as West Indies’ white-ball skipper, whereas Pant, very recently against South Africa in a Test, stood in as India captain after Shubman Gill’s injury. That may not sound a lot, but for a franchise looking to go all the way for the first time ever, that could prove to be vital, especially when push comes to shove in the IPL.

LSG 2026 squad: Biggest weakness

This may go against the grain of the title, but LSG seem to have more than one weakness. The first is obvious – in that they still do not have a proper finisher to help out Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad. These two youngsters, consequently, will have to do almost all of the heavy lifting. Inglis could do that job in the games that he is available, but that would lead to a shake-up of an already destructive top order, or the omission of an overseas bowler.

Which is kind of the other problem LSG have. Hasaranga and Nortje, on their day, are match-winners. They are, however, also highly injury-prone. It dovetails with the general theme of the squad, with the other Indian pacers similarly unreliable on the fitness front, but this is a challenge that LSG might have to grapple with throughout the tournament.

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It is, to an extent, uncontrollable. Yet, it boasts the potential to make or break their season. And that is not an ideal place to be in.

Josh says, "I can talk Inglis, I can walk Inglis, I can laugh Inglis, I can run Inglis, I can eat Inglis, I can play Inglis... I am Inglis!" ⚡🔥 pic.twitter.com/Xv1P6pPP0z

— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) December 16, 2025

LSG at IPL 2026 Auction: What could they have done differently?

Hmm…maybe not spend Rs 8.6 crore on a player who is expected to miss a major chunk of the tournament? Inglis, of course, is a top-drawer batter, albeit not an out-and-out finisher. And one school of thought says LSG wanted him in the mix from this campaign itself, rather than risk buying him at another mini-auction, where the supply-demand dynamics could have been further skewed. But surely that money could have been spent on someone who would have provided more in that finisher’s role, and would have actually been available throughout the season?

The result, either way, is that LSG are back to square one: jostling with a squad that looks incredibly top-heavy, again.

Predicted twelve for Lucknow Super Giants (Impact Player included)

1 Mitchell Marsh 2 Aiden Markram 3 Nicholas Pooran 4 Rishabh Pant (c & wk) 5 Ayush Badoni 6 Abdul Samad 7 Wanindu Hasaranga 8 Shahbaz Ahmed 9 Mohammed Shami 10 Avesh Khan 11 Mayank Yadav 12 Digvesh Rathi

IPL Auction 2026: Players purchased by Lucknow Super Giants

Wanindu Hasaranga (Rs 2 crore), Anrich Nortje (Rs 2 crore), Mukul Choudhary (Rs 2.60 crore), Naman Tiwari (Rs 1 crore), Akshat Raghuwanshi (Rs 2.2 crore), Josh Inglis (Rs 8.6 crore)

Lucknow Super Giants full squad for IPL 2026

Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh, Rishabh Pant (c), Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshin Kulkarni, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Akash Singh, Mohammed Shami (traded from SRH), Arjun Tendulkar (traded from MI), Wanindu Hasaranga, Anrich Nortje, Mukul Choudhary, Naman Tiwari, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis