IPL 2023: Lucknow Super Giants to don Mohun Bagan attire versus Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday
IPL 2023: Lucknow Super Giants will pay tribute to Mohun Bagan on Saturday against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens because the football club was rebranded to Mohun Bagan Super Giant.
FollowKolkata-based conglomerate RP Sanjiv Goenka Group owns Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The group also owns India's most successful football club, Mohun Bagan. As the football club has been rebranded to Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG), LSG will sport MBSG's renowned green and maroon-coloured jersey in its 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) meeting against former two-time champion Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the iconic Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday.
The RPSG Group owned the Lucknow franchise after the IPL was expanded to 10 sides in 2022. The unit is also the principal owner of Mohun Bagan after acquiring a majority stake before the Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21 season. "It is [Mohun Bagan] not an institution. It's an emotion. Its legacy represents the city of Kolkata," LSG team owner Shashwat Goenka said, reports PTI.
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"With this in mind, we have decided that LSG will don the iconic colours of maroon and green in Saturday's match against KKR at Eden Gardens. It is our way of respecting Mohun Bagan's and our city's legacy," added Goenka. With this move, LSG hopes to gain some home advantage on Saturday in a critical match as both teams vie for the playoffs.
"Not just Mohun Bagan fans, but hope all the residents of Kolkata will support us. For us, Kolkata is our home, right? So, as much support as possible, we would ask for that," Goenka added. The announcement happened at RPSG House in Kolkata in the presence of LSG's stand-in captain Krunal Pandya and Windies's wicketkeeper-batter, Nicholas Pooran.
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Krunal, who has been leading LSG since the mid-season following the injury to regular skipper KL Rahul, said he looks forward to seeing Mohun Bagan in action. "Yes, we won the (ISL) trophy this year. I'm aware of the team as well. I'm also looking forward to seeing one of the games," he stated.
He further hoped to get more significant support than the home side. "100 per cent [we are getting more support]. Wherever we go, if we get more support, it will boost your confidence. I request all the Mohun Bagan fans to support us on Saturday. Hope we do well against KKR," Krunal added.
The notification came on Wednesday after the RPSG Group decided to go by the fans' sentiments and dropped the prefix ATK from Mohun Bagan, starting June 1. It was informed after its Board meeting on Wednesday that the century-plus-old city football heavyweight would be called 'Mohun Bagan Super Giant' beginning June 1.
