You had to sacrifice your find of last season

Former India batter Abhinav Mukund questioned Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) decision to leave out spinner Digvesh Rathi from the playing XI for their opening IPL 2026 match against Delhi Capitals (DC). Admitting that the leg-spinner has not been in good form lately, Mukund opined that LSG ought to have shown better faith in the bowler who made a big impact last season.

Rathi (26) was LSG’s leading wicket-taker in their debut season last year. In 13 matches, he claimed 14 wickets at an average of 30.64 and an economy rate of 8.25. He also grabbed eyeballs with his ‘signature’ celebration after claiming a wicket. LSG, however, took a big call and left out Rathi for Wednesday’s match. They went in with four pacers and brought in Shahbaz Ahmed as the Impact Sub.

During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Mukund was extremely critical of LSG‘s selection choices. Sharing his thoughts on the same, he added:

“I felt the balance of the team was pretty off – seven batters and four bowlers. And then you had to sacrifice your find of last season. I know he may not have followed that up with an excellent domestic season. He’s not been amongst the wickets. He’s not had a great domestic season but that doesn’t mean – you’ve released Bishnoi which means you’ve had your faith in Digvesh Rathi and said ‘okay, you are my number one spinner and you don’t play him the first match.”

Defending a total of 141, LSG’s pacers impressed as Prince Yadav claimed two wickets, while Mohammad Shami and Mohsin Khan chipped in with one each. Sameer Rizvi’s unbeaten 70 off 47 balls, however, guided DC to victory after a shaky start, which saw them slip to 26-4.

“There is no identity within the team” – Abhinav Mukund on LSG’s woes

During the same discussion, Mukund claimed that LSG are yet to establish their identity as a team. Comparing the franchise with Gujarat Titans (GT), who made their IPL debut along with the Lucknow franchise in 2022, the 36-year-old stated that while GT have developed a style of their own, the same cannot be said of LSG. He elaborated:

“I’m very unsure about LSG. They are a very young side in the IPL. So are Gujarat Titans, who are slowly building an identity towards who they are. They might have lost their first game [in 2026] but you know what Gujarat Titans will come up with on a certain day. They are top heavy and rely on their bowlers. They rely on their experience in the middle in terms of their spinners. With Lucknow, you always feel like there is no identity within the team.”

LSG’s second match in IPL 2026 will be against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday, April 5. This will be a day game and will start at 3:30pm IST.

Edited by Renin Wilben Albert