Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka has made it clear that merely reaching the playoffs is not in line with the franchise's ambitions, as the team prepares for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.
Despite being one of the new teams in the competition, the franchise has already secured playoff qualification twice, but Goenka believes the ultimate goal is to clinch their maiden title, which has eluded his team since its inception in 2022.
“I think our true identity is still evolving. For any sports team, unless you win, you don't get the level of respect or affection that comes with lifting a trophy. Yes, we have made the playoffs twice, but it is clearly not enough. You win some, lose some, but we have to win our first trophy,” Goenka said while speaking on JioHotstar.
Reflecting on the past season, Goenka highlighted the challenges faced by LSG due to injuries to key bowlers, while also acknowledging the positives that emerged from the adversity.
“The positive (from last season) was that we won four of our first six games despite most of our frontline bowlers being injured. There were some bold moves, Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh opened, which is not their normal position, and it turned out to be their best IPL season for both of them.
Digvesh Rathi came in as a complete newcomer and did well for us. However, we realized that we lacked a strong bowling corps, and we have deliberately addressed this this time by building a domestic Indian bowling unit. We're happy with what we have,” the owner concluded.
He further said that even though his players had a very good season individually last year, the team as a collective unit did not live up to expectations.
“You can always improve, aspire to do better, there is no end to improving. But at the end of the day, this is a team that has all the essentials. Now it is about coming together and performing as a unit rather than individually. Last year, there were a lot of people performing. This year, we want to perform as a team,” he concluded.
With a strong squad and a clear vision, LSG will aim to translate their potential into a championship campaign in IPL 2026 under the leadership of Rishabh Pant.
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