"To go in with players who have a mindset to win" - LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka explains their retentions ahead of IPL 2025 auction

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka addressed their retentions ahead of the IPL 2025 mega action. He revealed that they only wanted to keep players who walk on the field with a winning mindset.

KL Rahul, who captained LSG in all three seasons thus far, was the most striking omission from their ranks. The only overseas pick for the Super Giants is Nicholas Pooran, while the other four are Ayush Badoni, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, and Ravi Bishnoi.

Speaking on Jio Cinema, Goenka explained that apart from looking for the selfnesses in players, their aim was also to retain their bowling attack. As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, he 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. 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."

Goenka also seemingly had a fallout with Rahul following LSG's IPL 2024 match against the SunRisers Hyderabad as the former lost comprehensively. The franchise owner looked to have yelled at the captain, questioning his tactics.

Nicholas Pooran likely to be appointed LSG's captain

Meanwhile, Pooran, retained for an amount of INR 21 crore, remains the frontrunner to replace Rahul as the skipper. The West Indian has played for the Punjab Kings and SunRisers Hyderabad previously but hasn't held a leadership role in IPL. He did don the role in some matches when KL Rahul was injured last season.

Nevertheless, Pooran captained the MI New York to the Major League Cricket (MLC) title in 2023. The southpaw had a productive IPL 2024, clattering 499 runs in 14 matches, averaging 62.37 alongside a strike rate of 178.21.