‘Reaching playoffs isn’t enough’: LSG owner lays down marker for Rishabh Pant to earn ‘respect’ | Cricket News


'Reaching playoffs isn't enough': LSG owner lays down marker for Rishabh Pant to earn 'respect'
Rishabh Pant, Sanjiv Goenka

Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka said that reaching the playoffs is not enough and that the team must win the title to earn “respect”.Goenka said the franchise is still shaping its identity and that success in the league is measured by trophies rather than consistency alone.“I think the true identity is still evolving. For any sports team, until you win, you don’t receive the same level of respect or affection that comes with lifting the trophy. Yes, we’ve made the playoffs twice, but that’s clearly not good enough. You win some, you lose some, but we have to win our first trophy,” Goenka said while speaking on JioStar, as cited by news agency ANI.

Watch

RCB’s big changes ahead of IPL: New rules, tribute & squad update

He also pointed to positives from the IPL 2025 season, where the team won four of their first six matches despite injuries to key bowlers. Goenka highlighted decisions such as promoting Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh to open, both of whom delivered, and the emergence of Digvesh Rathi with the ball.“The positive 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 opening, which isn’t their usual position, and it turned out to be best IPL season for both of them. Digvesh Rathi came in as a complete newcomer and did well for us. However, we did realise that we lacked a strong bowling core, and we’ve consciously addressed that by building a domestic Indian bowling unit this time. We’re happy with what we have,” he added.Goenka said the current squad has the required balance and the focus now is on delivering as a group rather than relying on individual performances.“You can always improve, aspire to do better, there’s no end to improving. But at the end of the day, this is a squad that has everything required. Now it’s about coming together and performing as a unit, rather than as individuals. Last year, there were too many individuals performing. This year, we want to perform as a team,” he said.Lucknow Super Giants, led by Rishabh Pant, will open their IPL 2026 campaign against Delhi Capitals on April 1. They will then face Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 5, Kolkata Knight Riders on April 9 and Gujarat Titans on April 12 in the first phase of the tournament.The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the schedule for the first phase of the season, which runs from March 28 to April 12. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play the opening match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.



Source link

  • Related Posts

    Cwg: Rajasthan stuck in 2012, Manipur in 2023: How actively are states with CWG medals promoting sports? | Commonwealth Games News

    Are sports bodies of Indian states promoting the game properly? NEW DELHI: Somewhere on a muddy school field in Haryana right now, a teenager is perhaps drilling the same throwing…

    New Zealand join France in confirming FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup participation amid UEFA boycott threats | Football News

    FIFA president Gianni Infantino New Zealand have confirmed they will take part in next month’s Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, joining France in becoming the first teams to publicly…

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    ‘Only God can save this country’: HC bins plea of J&K cop sacked for skipping duty over terror threat | India News

    ‘Only God can save this country’: HC bins plea of J&K cop sacked for skipping duty over terror threat | India News

    Terror suspects spotted, search operations launched in J&K’s Doda & Poonch | India News

    Terror suspects spotted, search operations launched in J&K’s Doda & Poonch | India News

    Kashmiri Pandits’ security stepped up after ‘threat letter’ from Lashkar arm | India News

    Kashmiri Pandits’ security stepped up after ‘threat letter’ from Lashkar arm | India News

    ‘CJP twisted CJI remark’: SC seeks govt, CBI response on PIL | India News

    ‘CJP twisted CJI remark’: SC seeks govt, CBI response on PIL | India News

    Punjab Elections: Old allies, new equation? Why SAD and BJP may join hands for 2027 Punjab assembly elections | India News

    Punjab Elections: Old allies, new equation? Why SAD and BJP may join hands for 2027 Punjab assembly elections | India News

    Cwg: Rajasthan stuck in 2012, Manipur in 2023: How actively are states with CWG medals promoting sports? | Commonwealth Games News

    Cwg: Rajasthan stuck in 2012, Manipur in 2023: How actively are states with CWG medals promoting sports? | Commonwealth Games News