LSG finished seventh on the points table in IPL 2025.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) endured a disappointing season in 2025, finishing seventh on the points table with seven wins. The franchise’s struggles were evident, particularly in the bowling department, including their fast bowling unit. We can expect an interesting change during the IPL 2026 auction.
The stats tell the story: the LSG’s pacers took 44 wickets in the entire tournament, registering the second-worst average of 37.43 and the highest economy rate of 10.78 among all teams. As a result, the franchise is likely to strengthen its pace attack at the IPL 2026 auction, with two potential domestic options – Yash Thakur and Kuldeep Sen. Both quicks, currently with IPL 2025 runners-up Punjab Kings (PBKS), found limited opportunities, but could be valuable assets for LSG.
LSG can afford to release two Indian pacers, including Akash Deep and Mayank Yadav, both of whom were unavailable for some games due to injury and underperformed when given chances. Akash Deep led the attack in six matches, picking up three scalps at an average of 76.33 and an economy rate of 12.05. Mayank, on the other hand, played two games before getting ruled out again, where the right-arm seamer took two wickets at an average of 50 and an economy rate of 12.50, underlining their struggles.
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Yash Thakur had a promising start with LSG in 2023, snaring 13 wickets at a modest economy of 0.07 in his debut season. He followed that with a maiden five-wicket haul in IPL 2024, but he lacked consistency, with his economy rate rising to 11.32. After moving to PBKS for IPL 2025, Thakur appeared in only two games, managing a solitary scalp at an economy of 12.15.
Despite this significant dip, Thakur’s ability to swing the new ball and strike early blows makes him a useful option for the Rishabh Pant-led LSG, who lacked a consistent powerplay bowling unit last season. Their opening bowlers leaked runs at an economy rate of 11.45 in the first six overs, the highest in the tournament.
Kuldeep Sen, meanwhile, brings raw pace, height, and aggression, making him suitable as a middle-overs enforcer and at the death overs. After encouraging performances with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 2022 and 2024, where he displayed his ability to hit the deck hard and bowl pinpoint Yorkers at pace, claiming 14 scalps in 12 matches at a modest economy rate of 9.64, including a four-wicket haul.
However, Sen didn’t feature in any game for PBKS in IPL 2025, mainly due to combination issues. His ability to generate steep bounce and bowl economical spells at the death makes him a like-for-like replacement for the injury-prone Mayank Yadav.
With Akash Deep failing to meet the expectations in the shorter format and Mayank’s fitness still a concern, LSG might explore options in either Thakur or Kuldeep to rebuild their domestic pace bowling core for IPL 2026, if PBKS release them ahead of the eagerly awaited auction.
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