LSG wanted to retain ‘players who have a mindset to win’

NewsFranchise keeps Nicholas Pooran as top retention at INR 21 crore and does not retain KL Rahul

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) wanted to hold on to “players who have a mindset to win” and those that “put the team before their personal goals and aspirations”, franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka said after announcing the team’s retention list ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.

LSG let go of KL Rahul, who had captained the team for the three seasons since it came into existence in 2022, following their seventh-place finish in IPL 2024. Rahul will go into the mega auction, where he is expected to be one of the biggest draws.

Pooran was an “automatic choice” as the team’s top retention and the decision to keep him took “two minutes”, Goenka said. “We had a very simple mindset to go in with players who have a mindset to win, who put the team before their personal goals and aspirations,” he added. “And we wanted to retain as much core as possible within our available purse. We had a strong bowling unit, that’s why we went with three bowlers [Bishnoi, Mayank and Mohsin] from the previous season and all Indians. Pooran was a no-brainer. Ayush has done well for us at No. 6 and No. 7.”

While Rahul was LSG’s top-scorer in IPL 2024 with 520 runs at a strike rate of 136, Pooran’s 499 runs came at a strike rate of 178.

Mayank made his IPL debut in 2024 but played only four matches before he was ruled out by injury. He made a strong impression in that time with his 150kph speeds and picked up two Player-of-the-Match awards.

Mohsin and Bishnoi picked up only ten wickets apiece in IPL 2024, while Badoni scored only 235 runs in the lower-middle order. But with Mohsin only 26 years old, and Bishnoi and Badoni both 24, LSG view them as long-term prospects.

With five players retained, including two uncapped players, at a total cost of INR 51 crore, LSG have INR 69 crore remaining to spend at the mega auction. They have one right-to-match option to use if they want to buy back one of their capped players.