New Delhi, March 21 (IANS) Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant, principal owner and chairman of the franchise Sanjiv Goenka, and several other members of the squad offered prayers at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The 19th edition of the tournament is set to begin on March 28.

The franchise posted a picture of the group’s visit to the holy shrine on X and wrote, “Dr. Sanjiv Goenka visits Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya along with captain Rishabh Pant and other members of the squad to receive blessings.”

LSG have experienced mixed results since their debut. Under KL Rahul, they reached the IPL 2022 playoffs but were eliminated in the eliminator. In IPL 2023, LSG advanced to the second round but lost in the Eliminator again. Krunal Pandya led the team during the second half of that season.

The Rahul-led LSG did not advance past the league stage in IPL 2024. The management released Rahul ahead of the IPL 2025 mega-auction. The Lucknow-based franchise committed a record bid of Rs 27 crore for Rishabh Pant, making him the most expensive player in league history as he was eventually appointed captain.

Pant-led LSG had a subpar IPL season, exiting after only six wins in 14 matches. Their performance dipped in the latter half, with four consecutive losses damaging their chances. They ended their second season with a defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Pant struggled with the bat, scoring 269 runs in 13 innings. He recorded one century and one half-century during the season.

Lucknow will now aim to reach their first IPL final in 2026. They will start their season against the Delhi Capitals on April 1, followed by a match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 5. Their next two games, as per the first phase of the schedule announced by the BCCI, are against the Kolkata Knight Riders on April 9 and the Gujarat Titans on April 12.

--IANS

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