Lucknow: The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) continue to face challenges on their home turf at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, having secured just two victories from their last ten matches since IPL 2025. In their most recent outing on Wednesday, LSG struggled to chase down 160 runs, marking the lowest total in IPL 2026, ultimately losing to the Rajasthan Royals by a significant margin of 40 runs.
After the defeat, LSG head coach Justin Langer acknowledged the team’s difficulties in adapting to the unique conditions of their home ground. He drew comparisons between the pitch in Lucknow and the renowned WACA ground in Perth, stating, “I think the pitch here is very different than in most of India. It’s a brilliant cricket pitch. You see pace and bounce and we just haven’t quite adjusted to it.”
Langer elaborated on the challenges, noting, “We saw that we’ve been out to the short ball a number of times, our batters, and that’s what I would say. So we’re not adjusting. We see a lot of wickets in India where the ball doesn’t bounce very high. This is like playing at the WACA. There’s real pace and bounce, isn’t there?”
Despite the batting woes, Langer praised the team’s formidable pace bowling unit, which took center stage against the Rajasthan Royals. Players like Mohsin Khan, Mohammed Shami, and Prince Yadav collectively dismantled the Royals’ batting lineup, claiming all six wickets and limiting their opponents to a mere 159 runs in their innings.
Reflecting on the performance of the bowling attack, Langer remarked, “Last year our numbers were incredible and we were ruing the fact that a lot of our bowlers were injured or coming back from injury or not quite fit. This year our bowlers have been a real credit. I think Mohsin Khan, again outstanding. Prince Yadav, I think they’re both two players who will play for India. No question in my mind they’ll both play for India.”
