The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have nothing to lose and everything to gain in the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. It’s time for Lucknow to test some players, especially fast bowlers. Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav, and Mohammed Shami have done more than enough.
Move on from Avesh Khan & Mayank Yadav
Mohsin hasn’t always been fit for selection. When he has played, he’s been in a class apart. Prince remains the standout positive of the season, and Shami has asserted his status as a top fast bowler in the powerplay. However, the third seamer has consistently been a weak link in Mohsin’s absence.
Avesh Khan and Mayank Yadav haven’t stepped. The duo is worth INR 20.75 crore. However, their performance hasn’t been worthy of that sum. Although one mustn’t weigh results based on price tags, LSG has tried Avesh and Mayank enough. The former has taken 6 wickets at an average of 45.50 and an economy rate of 11.06, while the latter has bowled 8 overs and gone for 106 runs, at an economy rate of 13.25, without taking a wicket.
Time to test Akash Singh or Naman Tiwari
Apart from Mohin, LSG has two more left-arm quicks: Akash Singh and Naman Tiwari. The former played 3 matches last season and impressed. Akash isn’t rapid but can swing the ball upfront. He can team up with Shami, with Prince bowling at the latter stages of the powerplay.
As for Naman, he’s a much more like-for-like replacement for Mohsin. He can bowl around 145 consistently and is used to bowling overs in the powerplay and at death. In the 2025 edition of the Uttar Pradesh T20 League, he took 19 wickets in 10 matches at 16.26 and a strike rate of 11. Either of them can be tried, especially if LSG isn’t keen on continuing with Mayank or Avesh after this season.
Predicted LSG Playing XI vs CSK
| S. No. | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh Inglis✈️ | Opener |
| 2 | Mitchell Marsh✈️ | Opener |
| 3 | Nicholas Pooran✈️ | Top-order batter |
| 4 | Rishabh Pant (c & wk) | Middle-order batter |
| 5 | Aiden Markram ✈️ | Batting all-rounder (spin) |
| 6 | Himmat Singh | Finisher |
| 7 | Shahbaz Ahmed | All-rounder (spin) |
| 8 | Mohammed Shami | Right-arm fast bowler |
| 9 | Digvesh Rathi | Leg spinner |
| 10 | Akash Singh | Left-arm fast bowler |
| 11 | Prince Yadav | Right-arm fast bowler |
| Impact Player | Akshat Raghuwanshi/ Naman Tiwari/ Mayank Yadav/ Mukul Choudhary/ M Siddharth |
