Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka and team captain Rishabh Pant visited the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya as part of their pre-season preparations for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.
After offering prayers at the temple, Goenka said, “Offering prayers to Lord Ram is never enough, and with the IPL season about to begin, all the players offered prayers at the temple here… With Lord Ram’s blessings, everything falls into place.” The visit included select members of the LSG management team.
LSG’s official X account posted, “Dr. Sanjiv Goenka visits Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya along with captain Rishabh Pant and other members of the squad to receive blessings. JAI SHREE RAM.”
Prior to the visit, Pant spoke about the team’s pre-season training and commended the appointment of Bharat Arun as the franchise’s new bowling coach. Speaking on JioStar, he said, “The camp with the fast bowlers has been fantastic. Bharat Arun sir, has come on board, and since he arrived, he has been adding a lot of value. We’ve had a lot of conversations about what I want from the bowlers and what he thinks he can add. The energy is pure. He is one of the best bowling coaches, and I have that trust, having worked with him when he was with the Indian cricket team.”
Pant also highlighted Arun’s experience and ability to build trust with the bowlers as vital for boosting confidence and performance. “He brings that experience. The bowlers trust him and open up to him, which is exactly what you want from a bowling coach, adding value to the system. When we look back at last season, we felt we needed to add more to our bowling. He is definitely someone who can contribute a lot in that area, and I am really happy to have him.”
On March 11, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the schedule for the first phase of the IPL 2026 edition, to be held from March 28 to April 12.
Pant-led LSG will begin their campaign against Delhi Capitals on April 1. Their subsequent matches in the first phase will be against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 5, Kolkata Knight Riders on April 9, and Gujarat Titans on April 12.
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will play the opening fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The Lucknow Super Giants squad for IPL 2026 includes: Rishabh Pant (captain), 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, and Mohsin Khan.