IPL 2026 Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Best Retained Players List

Rishabh Pant expected to get a lifeline in our best predicted retained squad and players list for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for IPL 2026.

If we have to define the season of Lucknow Super Giants in one word, it has to be a ‘mixed bag’. Such has been the season for them that a strong batting performance was let down by a below-average bowling performance. Barring Pant, who had a mediocre tournament, the Lucknow Super Giants team saw some really solid performances from their Overseas stars, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, and Nicholas Pooran.

For the first time in IPL history, we saw a team with 400+ runs contributed from 3 Overseas batters. In general, it has been the case with 2 Overseas batters, but three solid performances from the Overseas stars show how dependent their batting was on them. On the contrary, the bowling was below-average for the Lucknow Super Giants, and barring Digvesh Rathi, none of the bowlers stood out with a good performance.

With Lucknow Super Giants finishing in the bottom half of the points table this around, their next assignment will be to finalize the players that they would like to retain for IPL 2026. The team looks Indian bowling heavy, and that has made their bowling inferior. The team will have to cut down on Indian bowlers, and that will give them a breather space in the Auction to focus on 1-2 All-rounders and 1-2 Overseas pacers. 

LSG’s Focus on Trimming Indian Bowlers

If we look at the current squad of Lucknow Super Giants, the team has as many as 12 Indian bowlers in the side. This is too many for any side in the IPL. Not only it is making the Indian bowlers redundant, but it is also decreasing the overall team strength with a lesser focus on All-rounders and Indian batters. So, it is natural for Lucknow Super Giants to release a few Indian bowlers who don’t add much value to the team anymore.

Among the potential releases, LSG should definitely think of releasing injury-prone bowlers like Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan. Not once but multiple times have these bowlers been ruled out due to injury concerns. The franchise is also paying a hefty amount to these bowlers, and if LSG are not getting their services, the money is going down the drain. Since LSG already have a lot of quality Indian bowlers to cover them, they can make the decision to release them. Other than these two, LSG may also think of releasing Akash Deep, Shamar Joseph, and M Siddharth. 

IPL 2026 Best Released Players List for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)

1. Aryan Juyal
2. Matthew Breetzke (o)
3. Yuvraj Choudhary
4. Shamar Joseph (o)
5. Akash Deep
6. M. Siddharth
7. Mayank Yadav
8. Mohsin Khan

From the retention perspective, LSG should retain all of their Overseas batters, Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, and David Miller. All four have been really good this season, and undoubtedly deserve the retention. There will be questions about Rishabh Pant with regards to his exorbitant price, but don’t think LSG management will make such a big call to release Pant just after 1 bad show. The team had a long-term vision in mind, and should continue with Pant for a couple of more seasons at least. 

Overall, expect LSG to retain 18 players including 5 Overseas players. The team will still be Indian bowlers-heavy, but with space for 7 more players, and a good amount in the Auction, LSG can target the gaps, and that’s majorly around Overseas bowlers, All-rounders, and Indian batters. There’s still good quality in the team, and even without Pant contributing, LSG have been competitive with a good number of wins.   

IPL 2026 Best Retained Squad and Players List for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)

Batters

1. Abdul Samad
2. Aiden Markram (o)
3. Ayush Badoni
4. David Miller (o)
5. Himmat Singh

Wicket-keepers

1. Nicholas Pooran (o)
2. Rishabh Pant (c)

All-rounders

1. Arshin Kulkarni
2. Mitchell Marsh (o)
3. Shahbaz Ahmed

Bowlers

1. Akash Deep
2. Akash Singh
3. Avesh Khan
4. Digvesh Rathi
5. Prince Yadav
6. Ravi Bishnoi
7. Shardul Thakur
8. Will O’Rourke (o)

So, that’s about the best retained players list for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. 

© IPLadda