Lucknow Super Giants, one of the two new teams added to the IPL ahead of the 2022 season, were bought for a record sum of Rs 7090 crore (approx. US$940 million) by RP Sanjiv Goenka Group, which previously owned the Rising Pune Supergiant franchise in 2016 and 2017. Andy Flower was appointed head coach and Gautam Gambhir mentor, though both moved on soon enough.

Lucknow Super Giants history

Lucknow Super Giants, like Gujarat Titans, the other franchise to debut in 2022, had a strong start in their first two seasons, making it to the playoffs both times though going no further. In 2022, they stumbled against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the eliminator, and Mumbai Indians knocked them out in 2023.

In a team of big hitters like Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis, captain KL Rahul has been the stable batting anchor for the side. He topped the run charts for LSG in 2022 and 2024, and was their second-highest scorer in 2023, when he was ruled out of the tournament with an injury. Despite a strong core of allrounders, LSG have been hamstrung by their lack of experienced fast bowlers, a lack they felt in a forgettable 2024 for the side, with key buy Mark Wood out for the second year in a row and David Willey unavailable.

In 2024, LSG brought in new head coach Justin Langer after choosing not to renew Andy Flower's contract.

Lucknow Super Giants season by season

2024 - seventh
M14 W7 W% 50
LSG failed to make the playoffs for the first time in three years after prolonged struggles with batting at the top, and a bowling attack without much puff. Devdutt Padikkal, who the team had traded in, endured a horror run of single-digit scores, and Quinton de Kock fired only intermittently. Despite the steadying influence of KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran, LSG found little rhythm through the season, which reflected in their middle-of-the-table finish.

2023 - fourth
M15 W8 W% 53.3
After winning eight league-stage games, LSG made it to the playoffs for the second time in a row and were knocked out in the Eliminator again. They lost their captain, KL Rahul, to injury early in their campaign, but overseas batters Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis kept them firing. Afghanistan seamer Naveen-ul-Haq took 11 wickets in eight games in his debut season.

2022 - fourth
M15 W9 W% 64.28
In their maiden season, Super Giants qualified for the playoffs with nine wins at the end of the group stage. KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock and Deepak Hooda made close to 1600 runs between them, and uncapped seamer Mohsin Khan had a breakthrough season. LSG lost the high-scoring Eliminator to Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Lucknow Super Giants key players

KL Rahul
Lucknow spent Rs 17 crore ($2.28 million approx.) on Rahul, making him the joint-highest-paid IPL player. He was the highest run scorer for Punjab Kings after four seasons there, and he topped the charts for LSG in their first season with 616 runs, and again in 2024, and was the second highest run-scorer in the 2022 edition overall.

Avesh Khan
After a breakthrough IPL in 2021, in which he took 24 wickets for Delhi Capitals, in 2022, Avesh became the first ever uncapped player to hit the Rs 10-crore mark at an IPL auction when Lucknow secured his services. He didn't quite replicate his 2021 feats but still finished just outside the top ten wicket-takers' list, with 18. In 2024, Lucknow traded him to Rajasthan Royals for Devdutt Padikkal.

Quinton de Kock
De Kock has been one of the most impactful batters over the last few seasons. He emerged as Mumbai Indians' top run scorer in 2019 and second highest in 2020, and was a vital cog in them winning back-to-back trophies. He scored over 500 runs in LSG's inaugural season, and was third on the overall runs chart.

Nicholas Pooran
Pooran was audacious in his first season, 2023 - a 15-ball half-century was among his crucial middle-order contributions - and helped LSG make it to the playoffs. He was severe against pace bowlers in particular, scoring at a strike rate of 198.14, and finished the season with 26 fours and as many sixes.