Lucknow Super Giants Announce Retentions Ahead of IPL 2025 Auction

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have outlined their strategy for the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction, emphasizing the retention of players with a winning mindset and a commitment to team goals. The franchise owner stated that they aimed to retain players who prioritize the team over personal aspirations.

Notably, LSG did not retain KL Rahul, who served as the team captain since its inception in 2022. After a disappointing seventh-place finish in IPL 2024, Rahul is set to enter the mega auction, where he is expected to attract significant interest.

LSG has retained key players including Nicholas Pooran for INR 21 crore, making him one of the most expensive retentions this season, alongside RCB's Virat Kohli and only behind SRH's Heinrich Klaasen, who was retained for INR 23 crore. Other retained players include Ravi Bishnoi (INR 11 crore), Mayank Yadav (INR 11 crore), Mohsin Khan (INR 4 crore), and Ayush Badoni (INR 11 crore).

Goenka praised Pooran as an "automatic choice" for retention, noting that the decision was made swiftly. "We had a very simple mindset to go in with players who have a mindset to win," he said. "We wanted to retain as much core as possible within our available purse. We had a strong bowling unit, which is why we retained three bowlers from the previous season, all Indians. Pooran was a no-brainer, and Ayush has performed well for us at No. 6 and No. 7."

In IPL 2024, Rahul was the team's top-scorer with 520 runs at a strike rate of 136, while Pooran closely followed with 499 runs at an impressive strike rate of 178.

Mayank Yadav, who made his IPL debut in 2024, played only four matches due to injury but made a notable impact, clocking speeds of 150kph and earning two Player of the Match awards.

The retained players will be crucial as LSG looks to rebuild and improve their performance in the upcoming season, with the mega auction set to bring significant changes to the team dynamics.