LSG Owner Sanjiv Goenka Inspires Squad Ahead Of IPL 2026 Season: 'We Have To Win Our First Trophy'

IPL 2026: Sanjiv Goenka, owner of Lucknow Super Giants, expressed that simply reaching the playoffs is not enough to command true respect, emphasising that the team need to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy as they head into the 2026 season.

Speaking on JioStar, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka said LSG are still building their identity, stressing that true recognition comes only with winning a title. While playoff appearances are positive, he believes they are not enough and the team need to secure their first trophy.

"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.

Goenka also said LSG took positives from winning four of their first six matches despite injuries to key bowlers in the IPL 2025 season.

He highlighted successful experiments like promoting Aiden Markram, who scored 445 runs in 13 matches and Mitchell Marsh, who scored 627 runs in 13 matches, as openers, as well as the emergence of Digvesh Rathi, who emerged as the highest wicket taker for the franchise with 14 wickets in 13 matches. Sanjiv Goenka also acknowledged the lack of a strong bowling core last season, adding that the team has now focused on strengthening it with a solid domestic Indian bowling unit.

"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 their 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," Sanjiv Goenka said.

The LSG owner also noted that their IPL 2026 squad has everything that they require and now it's about execution as a team rather than as individuals.

"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.

The Rishabh Pant-led LSG will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against the Delhi Capitals on April 1, followed by their matches against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 5, the Kolkata Knight Riders on April 9 and the Gujarat Titans on April 12 in the first phase of the tournament.

Notably, the BCCI have only announced the schedule for the first phase of the 2026 IPL edition, which is to be played from March 28 to April 12.

Defending champions RCB will play the opening fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Lucknow Super Giants squad for IPL 2026: Rishabh Pant (C), 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.