Lucknow, March 16 (IANS) Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have commenced their training camp ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Monday. The franchise said captain, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, and veteran pacer Mohammed Shami are due to link up with the squad on Tuesday after arriving in Lucknow in late hours on Monday.

In the session held on Monday, 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 drew praise from the coaching staff for their speed and accuracy.

LSG’s Global Cricket Director Tom Moody and head coach Justin Langer provided technical guidance throughout the sessions, with assistant coaches Lance Klusener and Bharat Arun also working hard with the players.

The franchise previously had a pre-season camp in Chennai at the Coaching Beyond Academy ground. LSG will open their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign against the Delhi Capitals on April 1 at the Ekana Stadium.

LSG also said that fans will be able to enter the venue on match days using digital tickets on their smartphones. Under the new system, spectators booking tickets starting from the April 1 clash against DC through BookMyShow will receive an M-ticket directly on their registered mobile number, which can be scanned at the stadium gates for entry.

The franchise added that the initiative would eliminate the need for physical tickets and offline counter collection, thus reducing queuing time and streamlining entry on match days. LSG also said separate entry lines would be arranged at all stadium gates on match days for women, senior citizens, and children to ensure ease of access.

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

–IANS

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