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South Africa’s T20I captain Aiden Markram has addressed the rumours around him taking over as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2027 following Rishabh Pant's departure. The skipper of LSG's sister franchise at The Hundred, the Manchester Super Giants, said that there are a few quality leaders in the squad. He is not certain whether he will get the job or not.
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"I've got no idea. They can decide whatever they think is best. There's some quality leaders in that group that we have there, so I'm not too fussed about it. Whoever gets it I'm sure will take it on and do a good job, but the thoughts haven't been there just yet," Markram told Cricinfo.
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Marsh, Pooran candidates to lead LSG too
Apart from Markram, there are two more overseas player who are capable of leading the side and have plenty of experience as well. Australia's T20I captain Mitchell Marsh is a candidate. Also, Former West Indies' wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran can do the job as well. Pooran has led MI New York to two Major League Cricket (MLC) titles. He also led MI Emirates to ILT20 2024 final win as well.
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Meanwhile, the last three seasons have been forgetful for LSG. The last time they qualified for playoffs was in 2023. Under Pant, LSG finished seventh in IPL 2025 and at the bottom of the table in IPL 2026.
Markram struggled for form in IPL 2026
In this year's IPL season, Markram played 12 games and scored 231 runs from 11 innings, averaging 25.66 and scoring at a strike rate of 138.32. He didn't score a single half-century in a season. From opening the innings alongside Marsh, he was pushed down the order as well. With LSG out of the playoffs contention early, Markram had missed a couple of games towards the end of league stage as well.
Markram’s The Hundred season so far as captain
This is Markram's maiden The Hundred season. From five games, he has scored 117 runs at a strike rate of 127.17. He his Manchester Super Giants’ third-highest run-scorer in the ongoing season. His maiden The Hundred fifty came in a losing cause against MI London at The Oval on August 2.
Markram lauded Jos Buttler, the second-highest run-scorer in the current edition. He talked about the challenges of playing in The Hundred as the rules are different in the competition.
"It comes with its challenges, but it's been awesome," he said. "I've thoroughly enjoyed it. It obviously helps a lot to have guys like Jos [Buttler] around. He's helped me quite a bit.
"It's obviously much quicker, and still the idea of 10 balls from one side [is a challenge]. You sometimes think you've snuck five in, and you remember there's still another five to the short side, or whatever it might be."
Rashid’s fifer downs Giants
On August 2, Manchester Super Giants lost to MI London by 45 runs as Rashid Khan claimed a five-wicket haul. It was their third loss of the tournament from five games which also affected their net run rate (NRR). They are placed fifth in the points table. Their next match is against Welsh Fire on August 5 at Emirates Old Trafford, their homeground.
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