New Delhi, Nov 13 (IANS) IPL side Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have begun discussions on their retention ahead of the November 15 deadline, said franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka. In 2025, LSG, led by India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, finished at seventh place with six wins coming from 14 games.

The Lucknow-based franchise had made the knockouts in their first two IPL seasons in 2022 and 2023 respectively. “IPL retention talks for @LucknowIPL are underway. Delighted to have @TomMoodyCricket on board, bringing immense experience and strategic insight. Great discussion with @RishabhPant17, Justin Langer, and Bharat Arun as we plan for the season ahead,” wrote Goenka on his ‘X’ account on Thursday.

Also seen in the picture are Goenka’s son and LSG co-owner Shashwat Goenka and team analyst Shrinivas Chandrashekaran. Post their lackluster time in IPL 2025, LSG made quite a few changes to their coaching staff; while Langer retained his job, Bharat Arun was brought in as the bowling coach while Carl Crowe came in as the spin bowling coach.

Tom Moody recently took over as the side’s global director of cricket, replacing Zaheer Khan. Post the retention deadline, the mini auction for IPL 2026 will be held either on December 15 or 16 in Abu Dhabi.

In terms of retentions, LSG have some tough choices to make:- exciting fast bowler Mayank Yadav, who was retained for Rs 11 crore, is still in rehab at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru after undergoing a back surgery in Christchurch, New Zealand, in July this year.

It is understood that Yadav’s ongoing rehab means he may not be available for the first half of IPL 2026. David Miller, Arshin Kulkarni and Shamar Joseph also didn’t live up to the expected billing in LSG colours during the 2025 season. There’s also been word around all-rounder Shardul Thakur being traded to another franchise by LSG before the retention deadline, but nothing concrete has come to the fore.

–IANS

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