The Governing Council of the Indian Premier League issued an invitation to tender for two new sides in August 2021. A total of 22 companies declared an interest, but with a high base price for the new teams, there were no more than six serious bidders. The Sanjiv Goenka-owned RPSG Group won the rights to operate the Lucknow franchise with a bid of ₹7,090 crore (equivalent to ₹80 billion or US$950 million in 2023).[2][3]
At the February 2022 mega auction, the franchise purchased its first set of players. Notable players signed included KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Mark Wood and Marcus Stoinis. Later in the year, the franchise named Rahul as the captain of the team and former Zimbabwean cricketer Andy Flower as head coach.[6][7] Additionally, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir was appointed as the team mentor.[8]
In the 2022 season, the franchise finished third in the group stage and qualified for the playoffs. They faced the fourth placed Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator match and were knocked out at that stage.[9] The 2023 season saw the side again finishing 3rd and losing the eliminator, this time to Mumbai Indians.
The Lucknow Super Giants became one of the 10 most popular cricket clubs from India. As of March 2024, the club had 4.6 million followers on social media.[10]
The team's home ground is the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. During its first season, the team was unable to play any matches at the ground due to restrictions put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19 in India; all of the 2022 league stage matches were hosted in Maharashtra.[13] These restrictions were removed in 2023 and the side played on the ground during the season.
^The information in the nationality column is according to ESPNcricinfo. This information may not necessarily reflect the player's birthplace or citizenship.
2024 Lucknow Super Giants season
India
West Indies
