3 LSG players who must be released after IPL 2026 ft. Rishabh Pant

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) endured arguably the worst campaign in their short history in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Rishabh Pant and his men finished dead last in the standings and were one of the first teams to be eliminated from playoff contention.

The Super Giants are clearly in need of a overhaul, and discussions have already begun. They announced that Pant resigned as captain, and his future at the franchise is up in the air as well. Having the ability to pursue players aggressively at the auction will be essential for Lucknow.

On that note, here are three LSG players who must be released after IPL 2026.

#3 Mayank Yadav

Mayank Yadav was retained ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, but things haven’t gone to plan for LSG. The express pacer has dealt with injuries, and although he was fit during the recently concluded tournament, he featured in only a handful of matches and was taken to the cleaners.

Mayank is still one of the most exciting prospects in the country, but Lucknow don’t seem to have room for him in their playing XII. Moreover, his injury history makes it difficult for them to confidently shell out large sums of cash without affecting the composition of their squad in other areas.

Releasing Mayank and buying him back at a cheaper price should be high on LSG’s agenda.

One of LSG’s worst bowlers in IPL 2026, Avesh Khan was carted for runs whenever he came into the attack. Unreliable in all three phases of the innings, the seamer did not do anything to warrant his huge price tag.

Avesh’s skillset hasn’t developed in the way Lucknow would’ve liked. He doesn’t offer much in the powerplay and has no weapons in the middle overs or at the death aside from the yorker. Even the yorker hasn’t been executed well enough in recent times.

Releasing Avesh seems to be a no-brainer for LSG, who might not even look to reacquire him at a cheaper price.

#1 Rishabh Pant

No longer the captain of the franchise, Pant surely cannot command as much as ₹27 crore at LSG. His T20 record has been subpar for a while now, and he has barely made any improvements in recent times.

Pant’s ideal position in the format is uncertain, and he has clear weaknesses against both spin and pace. With Lucknow having Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram at the top of the order, along with Nicholas Pooran as a keeping option, it doesn’t make much sense to keep the keeper-batter.