The Rishabh Pant-led Lucknow Super Giants are under serious pressure. After a disappointing last season, LSG is desperate to bounce back in the upcoming IPL 2026. The franchise and fans expected something special when Rishabh Pant took over as captain, but the results did not match the hype.

Now, the Lucknow Super Giants are aiming for a fresh start with a strong squad this season. There is no second thought that world-class beasts like Jason Holder, Aiden Markram, Josh Inglis, Anrich Nortje, Wanindu Hasaranga and even Pant can win matches on their day in the high-pressure tournament.

3 players could power LSG to IPL 2026 glory

But cricket is not just about big stars but is about players who step up in tough moments. And for LSG, we predict that these three players – Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, and Mohammed Shami – could become the real heroes in the upcoming IPL 2026, starting on March 28.

Your daily dose of cricket!

Read Also: “It’s about time”: Zaheer Khan drops honest take on India’s fast bowling pipeline

The Lucknow Super Giants are set to kick off their campaign against the Delhi Capitals on April 1 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, followed by an away game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 5.

Mitchell Marsh

Mitchell Marsh could be the real X-factor for the Lucknow franchise this season. The Australian captain gives perfect balance to the team. The star all-rounder can be very dangerous in the powerplay, and if he gets a good start, he can take the game away from the opposition.

With the ball, Marsh can give a few solid overs and pick important wickets when needed. Additionally, Marsh is also a big-match player, and his experience becomes very important in tough IPL games, especially during the playoffs. And this makes him very valuable to the LSG. Marsh has 1293 runs and 37 wickets to his name in the IPL across 55 games so far.

Nicholas Pooran

The Lucknow franchise has massive expectations from Nicholas Pooran after making him the most expensive overseas retention at ₹21 crore. He is coming into the 2026 season after his best year in the IPL. The IPL 2025 was one of Pooran’s best seasons, scoring 524 runs at a strike rate of 196.25.

He also hit 5 half-centuries and smashed 40 sixes, which are the most in the tournament, proving how destructive he can be in the middle and death overs. Pooran is one of the best players of spin as well, and he plays the perfect role of stabilizer and hitter.

He can change the match in just a few overs and turn up the pressure on the opposition. The West Indies star has 2293 runs in 90 IPL games to his name, and he is expected to continue his fire this season as well.

Mohammed Shami

Indian pacer Mohammed Shami is one of the experienced players on the LSG side. Shami’s presence makes their bowling attack look dangerous and settled. He can swing the ball early and pick wickets in the power play. He also has the experience to handle pressure in the death overs.

This makes Shami a dangerous weapon for the LSG and the backbone of their attack. His experience can guide young bowlers like Mayank Yadav and support overseas pacers.

The Indian pacer joined LSG in an all-cash trade with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for INR 10 crore. Shami, who has 133 wickets to his name in his IPL career so far, will be eager to prove himself yet again after his poor 2024 season.

Read Also: Gary Kirsten lashes attack on Mohsin Naqvi-led PCB for creating toxic work culture

MUMBAI: In his book ‘Unlikely Paradise’, written during his time in prison, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has alleged that former vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned in 2025 under pressure from ED in response to his “independent political moves against the Modi govt”. The Marathi book came out in 2025 and its English version, which includes more incidents, is set to be released Monday.Rumours had circulated that Dhankhar and his wife had sold their Jaipur house and transferred part of the proceeds overseas, the book says. ED allegedly prepared a file to press charges against him along with other investigative agencies, the book claims.

“When whispers emerged of Dhankhar’s independent political moves against the Modi govt, ED reportedly presented him with the file, pressuring him to resign,” the book claims. “His refusal to comply initially led to intensified scrutiny, leaving him visibly uneasy.”Raut also alleges that former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa’s house was raided and his family faced ED summons because he took a dissenting position against PM Modi and home minister Amit Shah’s alleged electoral violations.“Based on complaints citing eight breaches of the Election Code of India, (former Election Commissioner Ashok) Lavasa initiated action to restore public trust in the ECI. Despite advice to remain silent, he refused to yield to pressure. Predictably, Lavasa and his family faced severe repercussions for his dissent,” Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has alleged in his book. It says the ED raid on his residence “compelled his resignation” in 2020, and he remained under the agency’s scrutiny even after that. The book also claims that during the UPA govt’s tenure, there were rumours that Modi, then Gujarat chief minister, may be jailed in connection with the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat. However, NCP SP chief, Sharad Pawar, then a Union minister, was among those who were not comfortable with this. “In a cabinet meeting, Pawar had opined, ‘It’s inappropriate to jail a democratically elected chief minister, regardless of political differences’,” the book claims. “This view resonated with many, sparing Modi from incarceration. Does Modi remember these favours and morality in politics?” it asks. The book also claims both Pawar and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray helped Amit Shah secure bail when he faced charges on several cases, with the CBI opposing bail. “A Maharashtra cadre officer in the CBI unit was particularly adamant against granting Shah bail. Modi sought Pawar’s intervention and as was his nature, Pawar helped him and Shah was released on bail. We all know how Shah later treated Pawar and Maharashtra,” the book claims. The book also claimed that Amit Shah faced “grave danger” after the Gujarat riots and Modi could not protect him since the CBI controlled investigations into the riots. Shah arrived at Thackeray’s residence in a black-and-yellow cab with his son and requested his intervention with the judge in his case, the book alleges. “If you speak to the judge, he will listen and not defy your wishes,” the book claims Shah told Thackeray. “It would be unethical to disclose what followed. Balasaheb summoned Manohar Joshi, provided the judge’s name and instructed him to discuss the matter, concluding, ‘You may hold any position but remember that you too are a Hindu’,” the book claims. “That single call altered Amit Shah’s political trajectory. Yet the world witnessed his ungrateful treatment of the Shiv Sena and the Thackeray family,” the book claims.

NEW DELHI: Deepening its investigation into the alleged multi-crore fraud involving Reliance Communications (RCOM) and State Bank of India (SBI), CBI has questioned three former top-tier executives of the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group.The agency issued summons to Satish Seth and Gautam Doshi, both former group managing directors, for examination in connection with the FIR registered following a formal complaint by SBI. This followed the questioning of a third former group managing director, Amitabh Jhunjhunwala.Seth, who previously held the position of vice-chairman at Reliance Infrastructure Ltd and served on the board of Reliance Telecom Ltd (RTL), was questioned alongside Doshi, who was also a board member of RTL. Sources said that the CBI examined Jhunjhunwala over a three-day period leading up to the scheduled appearance of Anil Ambani on March 19 and 20.Jhunjhunwala, a longtime confidant of the group, formerly served as the vice-chairman of Reliance Capital. The three executives were central figures in the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group for over 15 years. Both Seth and Jhunjhunwala were veterans of the undivided Reliance Group, having been associated with Reliance Industries Limited for more than two decades prior to the highprofile corporate demerger.All three have since moved on to independent ventures. Jhunjhunwala is currently an independent fund manager with operations in Dubai and Singapore. Seth is now engaged in real estate and software ventures. Doshi, officials said, currently leads a prominent tax and mergers and acquisitions advisory firm, in addition to serving on the boards of major companies.When contacted, the Reliance group refused to comment saying these officials were not with the company anymore. The Supreme Court had earlier asked CBI to file separate FIRs into complaints of different banks against Anil Ambani group companies.Last year, CBI filed a case against M/s Reliance Communications based on a complaint lodged by the SBI, which is the lead bank of a consortium consisting of 11 banks, in an alleged fraud case of Rs 2,929 crore.According to the CBI, the complaint is based on a forensic audit report that alleges large-scale diversion and misuse of loan funds through interlinked and circuitous transactions among group entities during the period 2013-17, resulting in wrongful loss of Rs 2,929 crore to SBI out of total exposure of Rs 19,694 crore involving 17 public sector banks.

NEW DELHI: With the conflict in the West Asia region threatening to engulf energy infrastructure, and amid concerns about a possible LPG crisis at home, PM Modi spoke to the Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, for the second time since the start of military hostilities and reiterated the importance of safeguarding freedom of navigation and ensuring that shipping lanes remain open and secure. In a post on X, Modi said he also condemned attacks on critical infrastructure “in the region”, which threaten regional stability and disrupt global supply chains. While Modi has explicitly condemned violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity of GCC countries, which are important for India’s energy and diaspora interests, he has not condemned the US-Israel attacks on Iran. However, in his last conversation with Pezeshkian, Modi told him that India was Iran’s friend.

Pezeshkian also again urged India, as the current Brics chair, to leverage its “independent role” to halt the US-Israel hostilities against Iran. He further underscored that a prerequisite for ending the war is the immediate cessation of aggression by US and Israel, along with guarantees against their recurrence in the future, according to an Iranian readout of the talks.Separately, foreign minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi and discussed the conflict in West Asia and its implications for the larger region.The conflict saw a dramatic escalation this week with Israel attacking Iran’s South Pars gas field and Tehran retaliating with strikes on Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City, a global LNG hub. Modi had spoken to the Qatar Amir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and leaders of other GCC countries and condemned the attacks on energy infrastructure in the region. On the attacks on energy installations, the PM has restricted himself to denouncing attacks “in the region” and not named any country.After the attack on its gas field, Iran had targeted energy hubs in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UAE, apart from Qatar. On Saturday, the PM also extended Eid and Nowruz greetings to Pezeshkian. “We expressed hope that this festive season brings peace, stability and prosperity to West Asia,” he said, while also thanking Iran for ensuring the safety and security of Indian nationals.

Mumbai Indians marked a light moment in their IPL 2026 preparations as captain Hardik Pandya and teammates celebrated the birthday of Afghanistan’s Allah Ghazanfar during a training camp.The celebration took place during a practice session, where players and support staff gathered to mark the occasion. Ghazanfar, a young spinner, is part of the MI squad for IPL 2026 and is yet to make his debut in the league.Earlier in the week, the Afghanistan player had spoken about an airstrike that hit a rehabilitation centre in Kabul. He referred to the impact of tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, focusing on the effect on civilians.

In what has been described as one of the deadliest airstrikes carried out by Pakistan on Afghanistan, at least 400 people were killed and around 250 others were injured. Afghanistan’s deputy government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said the strike hit a drug rehabilitation hospital, damaging large parts of the 2,000-bed facility. Pakistan has denied the allegations.Ghazanfar highlighted the importance of the facility, stressing that it provided crucial support to vulnerable sections of society. “The people there don’t have money for treatment,” Ghazanfar told CNN News18. “And now, they’ve targeted that place as well; they’ve martyred those people. This is not acceptable to the people of Afghanistan.” Strongly condemning the attack, he also questioned the intent behind such military actions. “I don’t know what they’re trying to prove. They come and target ordinary people, and we simply cannot accept this. Afghanistan cannot accept this,” he said in the interview. “Everyone knows Afghanistan’s history,” he warned. “If that history repeats itself, it will be very bad for Pakistan.”The spinner is yet to make his IPL debut and has featured in 20 matches for Afghanistan so far, picking up 29 wickets across formats.