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Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) Director of Cricket, Tom Moody, addressed setbacks franchise faced that led to their early exit from Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 playoffs race. Moody said that the absence of key star overseas players was a big setback for the LSG side. While they knew that Josh Inglis will be available for a limited number of chances even before they placed first bid for him, it was Wanindu Hasaranga's absence that hurt them the most. Moody said that LSG lacked balance in the side as Hasaranga was ruled out of the tournament due to injury.
"Well, Josh Inglis we knew was going to be missing, but we felt, and we saw it tonight, that he was too important a player not to pick up at the auction regardless of his availability this year from a long-term point of view," Moody said at the post-match press conference.
"Hasaranga is more of a significant miss for us because he was a really important key to the puzzle of how we were trying to stack up as a side, having that point of difference with a mystery-type spinner that's got a great international record, a lot to prove in this tournament as well. And he just offers that little bit of depth and security at number 8, in someone that's more than capable of playing a role there.
"So he was probably a bigger miss for the balance of the side. We've been battling with that balance ever since, and what hasn't helped is obviously our top order and our batting hasn't fired, so we're exposed down the back end of the innings."
Hasaranga injured during World Cup, yet to undergo fitness test
Hasaranga was considered one of the steal deals at the IPL 2026 mini-auction. He was roped in for his base price of Rs 2 crore by the franchise. But, Hasaranga suffered a hamstring during ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 and was ruled out of the tournament. He did not undergo Sri Lanka Cricket's (SLC) mandatory fitness test and was ruled out of IPL 2026.
Who replaced Hasaranga?
The former Sri Lankan captain was replaced by George Linde. The 34-year-old Proteas all-rounder could not play the role well. From three games, he bowled 6.1 overs and claimed one wicket at an average of 55. His economy rate was 8.91 runs per over. With the bat, he scored 31 runs at an average of 10.33 and strike rate of 147.61.
LSG at bottom
LSG are currently at the bottom of the IPL 2026 points table. After the defeat to Chennai Super Kings (CSK), they have been knocked out of playoffs race. LSG are expected to test out new talent or experiment in their remaining three games.
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