Lucknow, March 19 (IANS) Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) intensified their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 preparations by participating in a high-scoring practice match against UP T20 League side Kashi Rudras at the Sports Galaxy Cricket Academy on Thursday.

Captain Rishabh Pant featured in batting roles for both the Super Giants side and the opposition team named ‘KR XI’ as he looked to fine-tune his batting ahead of the upcoming season. Batting first, the Super Giants posted a formidable total driven by aggressive cameos from Pant, Arshin Kulkarni, and Shahbaz Ahmed.

The Kashi Rudras’ bowling attack had LSG pacers Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, and Mohsin Khan turning out for them. The trio tested the LSG batsmen with a mix of disciplined swing and sharp bouncers.

In the second half of the warm-up game, the Kashi Rudras displayed similar firepower. Pant, continuing his stint at the crease alongside his LSG team-mate Mukul Chaudhary, Shubham, and Abhishek, cleared the ropes frequently to leave the local crowd delighted.

On the bowling front for LSG, young pacer Mayank Yadav and wrist-spinner Digvesh Rathi were the standout performers, and were supported by economical spells from Shahbaz and Arjun Tendulkar.

The match drew a significant number of young cricketers from the local academy, who gathered to cheer on them. Following the session, several LSG players interacted with the fans, signing autographs and participating in photo sessions.

LSG also confirmed that the domestic contingent has now fully assembled in Lucknow. The squad is expected to reach full strength this weekend, with overseas players scheduled to arrive in Lucknow from Friday onwards.

LSG will open their IPL 2026 campaign against Delhi Capitals on April 1 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. The franchise previously had a pre-season camp in Chennai at the Coaching Beyond academy ground.

–IANS

nr/bsk/