IPL 2026: LSG eye maiden title; Balaji analyses overseas players

Lucknow Super Giants aim for their first IPL 2026 title under captain Rishabh Pant. Ex-cricketer L Balaji highlights their dependency on overseas batters like Marsh, Markram, and Pooran, suggesting Nortje to bolster their bowling attack.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will be eager to make a strong statement in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 after finishing seventh on the points table last season, and the Rishabh Pant-led side will be hopeful to claim their maiden title as the new edition begins on March 28.

Balaji on LSG's Strengths and Weaknesses

Speaking on JioHotstar, the former Indian cricketer Lakshmipathy Balaji delved into LSG's overseas combination. "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."

LSG have a strong squad with the likes of Mitch Marsh, Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram as their overseas players and with only four foreign players allowed in the playing XI, LSG will have to come up with the most balanced combination.

Focus on Indian Batters

Talking about the Indian batters in the LSG squad, Balaji said, "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."

Balaji's Overseas Combination Pick

The former seamer chose three batters and one bowler as his overseas combination for the Lucknow franchise. "On the overseas combination, normally I would pick three batters, so the first-choice players, Marsh, Markram, and Pooran, walk in. 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," said Balaji.

Lucknow Super Giants squad for IPL 2026

Rishabh Pant(captain), Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Mukul Choudhary, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis, Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahamad, Arshin Kulkarni, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ayush Badoni, Mohammad Shami, Avesh Khan, M. Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar, Anrich Nortje, Naman Tiwari, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan. (ANI)

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