Lucknow Super Giants are currently facing more challenges than positives ahead of IPL 2025. The Rishabh Pant-led side are nervously waiting for three of their pacers to get a clearance from the NCA. While Shardul Thakur was spotted at the LSG camp on Sunday, nothing has been made official about his entry to the side. Meanwhile, batting is surely the team’s forte, boasting of the likes of power hitters like Pant, Pooran, Miller and Markram.
Predicted LSG playing XI
| Position | Player | Role |
| 1. | Rishabh Pant | Batter-Keeper |
| 2. | Mitchell Marsh  | Batter |
| 3. | Nicholas Pooran | Batter |
| 4. | Ayush Badoni | Batter |
| 5. | Aiden Markram | Batter |
| 6. | David Miller | Batter |
| 7. | Arshin Kulkarni | All-rounder |
| 8. | Ravi Bishnoi | Bowler |
| 9. | Akash Deep | Bowler |
| 10. | M Siddharth /Avesh Khan* | Bowler |
| 11. | Rajvardhan Hangrekar / Mohsin Khan* | Bowler |
No choice for Pant but to open
LSG captain Pant will find it hard to find a place in the playing XI in his usual spot in the middle-order. Hence, he has no option but to open the innings for the side. While Pant has never played as an opener in the IPL, he is no stranger to the role. In fact, he played at the top of the order in the U19 World Cup in 2016, the same tournament after which he shot to fame. He amassed 267 runs from 5 matches, including a century and half-century.
His opening partner will be Mitchell Marsh. While the Australian is primarily an all-rounder, he has only been cleared to play IPL 2025 as a pure-batter. At number three will be LSG’s top retention pick Nicholas Pooran.
Power-packed middle order
The middle-order will comprise of Ayush Badoni, the South African duo of David Miller and Aiden Markram followed by the young Arshin Kulkarni. The Proteas duo are no strangers to their role in the middle-order, having anchored and finished games for their previous franchises multiple times in the past. While Arshin is primarily a top-order batter, he will be forced to assume a new position given the team’s composition. Badoni is quite used to playing at number three and four.
What about Shardul Thakur?
Thakur went unsold at the IPL 2025 auction. However, he might make a last-minute entry into the LSG squad. He was spotted training in LSG colours on Sunday, fuelling speculations of him joining the side. However, LSG have not officially confirmed it. Should Thakur enter the side, then he will automatically get a spot in the playing XI. This means either David Miller or Aiden Markram will have to sit out.
All-Indian bowling attack likely
LSG’s bowling unit comprises only of one overseas bowler – Shamar Joseph. Ravi Bishnoi will spearhead the spin unit, with Shahbaz Nadeem playing the second fiddle. When it comes to the pacers, LSG are currently in a perilous position. Mayank, Mohsin and Avesh are yet to get a fitness clearance from the Centre of Excellence (CoE). In their absence, Akash Deep will spearhead the pace attack with Rajvardhan Hangrekar serving as his deputy and Siddharth acting as the 3rd pacer.
