‘The franchise has your back’: Pathan challenges LSG stars to stake their claim in IPL 2026

former indian allrounder Irrfan Pathan Making it clear that IPL 2026 could be a defining season for Mayank Yadav, he urged the young pacer to justify the trust reposed in him by the Lucknow Supergiants. Mayank burst onto the scene in IPL 2024 with blistering pace, consistently clocking over 150 kmph, but injuries have hampered his progress since then. Despite his limited appearances, LSG showed strong support by retaining him for Rs 11 crore ahead of the 2025 mega auction. However, he only played in two games that season. He recently played two games for India A during the 2026 T20 World Cup warm-up matches and is now fully fit to work under bowling coach Bharat Arun ahead of the new IPL season.

Pathan noted that the team’s patience now needs to be rewarded. “Mayank Yadav has played six games in two years and that is not enough. He is a reserved player. He has to play this year. If there is no space for him in the team, it is a different story. The team is supporting him. Mohsin Khan was completely absent last year and even in previous seasons he did not play all the games. But they are supported; no other team can do that. I have seen KKR and MI doing it but many teams lose patience after a season or two,” Pathan said on his YouTube said on the channel. On the bowling front, Pathan feels LSG have significant depth despite releasing Akash Deep. He emphasized Mohammad Shamiwho is expected to lead the offense. “Their fast bowling is very strong and they have a lot of options. Shami has played a lot of domestic cricket, he has pace and is experienced. Everyone knows that if there are seaming conditions then you will get two overs with Shami. Last year, he had to bowl on a flat wicket in Hyderabad. I think he will get more help from the Lucknow pitch,” Pathan added. Shami will be supported by a strong Indian pace team that includes Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar and Naman Tiwari. Pathan also reflected on LSG’s journey as a team, saying they are still trying to define their identity after four seasons. The team has shed early pillars like KL Rahul, Ravi Bishnoi and Marcus Stoinis while going through multiple changes in coaching staff and branding. “This is a team that is finding its identity. If you look at Mumbai Indians, you associate it with the greats Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah. And then you associate Chennai with MS Dhoni links up with Virat Kohli and Lucknow is a fairly young team in comparison. It seems that Gautam Gambhir’s mark will remain on this team for a long time. Gambhir later left LSG and went to KKR and is now in the Indian team. This team has a lot of potential,” Pathan explained. The team made it to the playoffs in the first two seasons under Rahul before exiting in the knockout rounds and has struggled ever since, finishing just seventh in the last two seasons.