New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS) South African cricketer Aiden Markram said that he enjoyed his time with the Lucknow Super Giants at the Indian Premier League 2025 and is really happy upon being retained by the franchise ahead of the tournament’s next edition.

Markram had a good outing last season as he notched up 445 runs in 13 matches at an average of 34.23 and a strike rate of 148.83, including five half-centuries. Courtesy of his promising performances at the IPL 2025, where he also managed to pick four wickets, the franchise bestowed their trust on him and retained him for the IPL 2026.

Asked about his feelings after being retained by LSG, Markram, in a video shared by the franchise, said, “Yeah, it’s great. I really enjoyed my time with the Lucknow franchise last year. I made some really good friendships and enjoyed just a few months together with the squad. So, I’m very grateful to be retained and obviously looking forward to another season with them.”

He was also asked how he would prefer to approach things differently at the 19th edition of the tournament, to which he replied, “You have to be really good as a team to do well in the IPL. I don’t think we were very far off last season. A couple of moments here and there and a few results would have looked different.

“Before you know it, you’ve qualified for the knockout. So, definitely not overcomplicating anything. I think trying to do the things we did well, try to redo those things and win a couple more crunch moments. Before you know it, I think the competition looks really promising for us.”

Despite several significant adjustments to their squad and leadership, LSG did not see improved results in IPL 2025. Rishabh Pant took over as captain from KL Rahul, with Zaheer Khan stepping in as team mentor. Nevertheless, the team once again missed the playoffs, finishing seventh on the points table, a result that mirrored their performance from the previous season.

The team lost consecutive matches towards the end of the league stage, which cost them a spot in the knockouts. LSG aim to rebound in the next season by making key squad changes before the auction.

–IANS

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