LSG to hire Abhay Sharma as fielding coach ahead of IPL 2026

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are set to bolster their support staff by bringing in former Delhi and Railways cricketer Abhay Sharma as their fielding coach for the IPL 2026 season, according to a report from PTI. The 56-year-old, who is also Under-19 World Cup 2018-winning coach, boasts an impressive coaching resume, having previously held the same position with the India U19 team.

LSG to appoint Abhay Sharma as fielding coach

Most recently, Abhay Sharma served as the head coach for the Uganda national team, where he led the side during their maiden World Cup campaign last year. His experience also extends to coaching the Indian women's cricket team. Notably, he was the fielding coach when Harleen Deol executed her spectacular boundary-line catch off Shikha Pandey's bowling to dismiss the powerful batter Amy Jones, an unforgettable moment in Indian fielding history.

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This change in the coaching staff comes as the Lucknow Super Giants look to improve their performance after a challenging period. After successfully reaching the playoffs in their first two IPL seasons, the franchise has struggled in the two most recent editions, finishing seventh in both. Consequently, a minor overhaul in the team's support personnel, beginning with Sharma's appointment, was anticipated.

LSG setup is led by a prominent team of experienced cricket figures. Justin Langer serves as the head coach, while star India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant captains the side. Their management structure is further enhanced by Australian veteran Tom Moody, who holds the role of Director of Cricket, and New Zealand great Kane Williamson, who is named the Strategic Director.

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Abhay Sharma to bring in wealth of experience

Abhay Sharma's background includes coaching many of the current generation's top talents. He has worked with players like Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel, Avesh Khan, and Yashasvi Jaiswal during their formative years at the U-19 level. Furthermore, Sharma was part of the India U-19 World Cup support staff in the 2016, 2018, and 2020 editions, and has also served at the prestigious National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Before joining LSG, Abhay Sharma took on his first assignment as a head coach with the Uganda national team, a role he was appointed to ahead of the T20 World Cup last year in the US and West Indies. However, Sharma and the Uganda team parted ways following the conclusion of the African qualifying campaign, where Zimbabwe and Namibia ultimately secured the qualification spots for the T20 World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka.