The countdown for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season has officially begun as the RPSG group, owned by Sanjiv Goenka has lifted the lid to unveil the name of their Lucknow franchise. ‘Lucknow Super Giants’ will be the latest addition to the roster that will compete to be crowned the winners of IPL on the first time of asking. The announcement brings to an end a long speculation surrounding the various names for the franchise.
Eight-year-old kid suggested the name
Interestingly, the name ‘Lucknow Super Giants’ was suggested by an eight-year-old kid, who took part in a contest after Goenka had purchased the franchise last year. Two initials - 'S and G' from the abbreviation of the RPSG group also reflect in the name of the franchise, which will be abbreviated as LSG, helping the marketing side of the group.
A sum of Rs 7090 Crores was splashed by the RPSG group to buy the franchise in 2021. The team is already taking shape in the form of coach Andy Flower and Gautam Gambhir. The latter was appointed as the mentor of the side with his experience in IPL and at the international level. Gambhir guided Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to IPL glory on two occasions during his stint as captain. Rahul will wear the captain’s armband for the Giants.
A grand sum of Rs 30.2 Crores was also spent on Rahul, Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis and uncapped leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi before the franchise enters the mega auction bowl. Rahul's services were acquired for Rs 17 Crores while Stoinis was picked at Rs 9.2 Crores by the Lucknow side. Their last recruit, Bishnoi was picked for Rs 4 crores.
Earlier an extension was given to the two new franchises in account to complete their documentation for the upcoming season by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and IPL commission. Lucknow have now made their first move in the right direction, while the wait for the Ahmedabad franchise still remains.
The CVC group owns the Gujarat-based franchise, which splashed Rs 5635 Crores. The CVC group is expected to announce the name of their IPL team in the coming days, as the auction date gets close. The teams are entitled to complete all the formalities before the IPL auctions take place next month.
