Aiden Markram has expressed gratitude after being retained by Lucknow Super Giants for IPL 2026, saying he enjoyed his time with the franchise and formed strong friendships despite their disappointing seventh-place finish last season.​

Solid Individual Season

The South African captain had a strong personal campaign in IPL 2025, notching up 445 runs in 13 matches at an average of 34.23 and a strike rate of 148.83. His consistency included five half-centuries, and he even chipped in with four wickets, proving his value as a multi-dimensional player.​

Those performances convinced LSG to retain him as one of their four overseas players alongside Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, and Matthew Breetzke.​

Grateful for Trust

In a video shared by the franchise, Markram spoke candidly about what retention means to him. “Yeah, it’s great. I really enjoyed my time with the Lucknow franchise last year. I made some really good friendships and enjoyed just a few months together with the squad. So, I’m very grateful to be retained and obviously looking forward to another season with them,” he stated.​

The 31-year-old sees the retention as a huge vote of confidence from the franchise, especially after LSG underwent significant changes including appointing Rishabh Pant as captain and bringing in Zaheer Khan as team mentor.​

Team Was Close

Despite finishing seventh with six wins and eight losses, Markram believes LSG weren’t far from turning things around. “You have to be really good as a team to do well in the IPL. I don’t think we were very far off last season. A couple of moments here and there and a few results would have looked different,” he explained.​

“Before you know it, you’ve qualified for the knockout. So, definitely not overcomplicating anything. I think trying to do the things we did well, try to redo those things and win a couple more crunch moments. Before you know it, I think the competition looks really promising for us,” Markram added.​

Costly Late Collapse

LSG’s season unraveled with consecutive losses toward the end of the league stage, which cost them a playoff spot for the second straight year. The franchise had high hopes after bringing in Pant and restructuring their leadership, but results didn’t improve from their 2024 campaign.​

LSG’s Retention Strategy

Lucknow retained 17 players and acquired two through trades—Mohammed Shami from Sunrisers Hyderabad and Arjun Tendulkar from Mumbai Indians. However, they released several big names including David Miller, Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Deep, Shamar Joseph, and Will O’Rourke.​

Key Indian retentions include Rishabh Pant, Ayush Badoni, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, Abdul Samad, and Digvesh Rathi. With Rs 22.95 crore remaining in their purse and six slots to fill (including four overseas), LSG have flexibility to target specific needs at the December 16 mini-auction in Abu Dhabi.​

Focus on Crunch Moments

Markram’s assessment that LSG needs to “win a couple more crunch moments” reflects the fine margins that separated them from playoff qualification. The franchise will hope that retaining core players while adding targeted reinforcements through the auction can help them convert those close losses into victories in IPL 2026.

With an experienced overseas contingent and a strong Indian core led by Pant, LSG aim to finally break their playoff drought and challenge for the title.