New Delhi, March 17 (IANS) Ahead of the 19th IPL season starting on March 28, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) head coach Justin Langer and Director of Cricket Tom Moody presented jerseys to the groundsmen at their home ground, the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, on Tuesday.

LSG will kick off their IPL 2026 campaign at home on April 1 against the Delhi Capitals before heading to Hyderabad for the second fixture against the Sunrisers on April 5. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced only part of the schedule, in which LSG are slated to play a total of four games. The Rishabh Pant-led side will also face the Kolkata Knight Riders at the iconic Edemn Gardens on April 9, before returning home to play the Gujarat Titans on April 12.

With preparations already underway and players now joining camp and starting training, Langer and Moody demonstrated a kind gesture towards the ground staff by presenting them with the franchise’s newest jersey.

Sharing pictures of the moment, the franchise wrote on X, “For our groundsmen, straight from our heart.”

LSG began their training camp on Monday, with the franchise stating that Pant and veteran pacer Mohammed Shami are expected to join the squad on Tuesday, having arrived in the city late on Monday.

During Monday’s session, batters Akshat Raghuvanshi, Abdul Samad, and Himmat Singh, along with all-rounders Ayush Badoni, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Arshin Kulkarni, impressed in the nets. The pace attack of Arjun Tendulkar, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, and wrist-spinner Digvesh Rathi earned praise from the coaching staff for their speed and accuracy.

Moody and Langer also provided technical guidance throughout the sessions, with assistant coaches Lance Klusener and Bharat Arun also working diligently with the players.

Since their first appearance in 2022, LSG have reached the playoffs twice, in 2022 and 2023, and finished seventh in the points table in 2024 and 2025. Currently, LSG is the only active team to have never reached an IPL final.

–IANS

vi/