Lucknow: Lucknow Super Giants head coach Justin Langer looked relaxed on Tuesday.
All his pacers, including tearaway Mayank Yadav, are fit and raring to go and the batters too are in good touch for their IPL 2026 opener against Delhi Capitals here on Wednesday.
“This season, we have a problem of plenty as well as tricky (selection calls) as all the bowlers are fit whereas every batter is doing his best in the camp,” the former Australia batting great said. “We have Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh as well as skipper Rishabh Pant, and Ayush Badoni too is in fine form. It would be a tricky preposition to pick the eleven.”
The Aussie has guided LSG for two years and they ended seventh in both seasons. However, he didn’t feel he was under too much pressure to deliver.
“Yeah, there’s pressure every season. But I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’ve had pressure on me for 30 years. Every time I batted, there was pressure on me. Every time I’ve coached a side, there’s pressure on me. So, is there pressure? No different than usual,” he told the media.
“I love pressure, and there should be pressure. I’m the head coach. That’s leadership. But do I feel pressure? In 30 years, it’s been pretty successful, and I hope my results as a player and coach have proven that.”
LSG hold a 4-3 win-loss record against DC. They will pin hopes on skipper Rishabh Pant, who will be keen to find form straightaway after his struggles last season, although he ended the mediocre season with a final century. “Rishabh Pant is at his very best. He’s smiling, he’s competitive, throwing punches, and he’s aggressive,” Langer said.
“We all know there is pressure on Pant too, and that’s good. But he’s good, happy and batting well. And he has got amazing people around him.”
Langer was happy with the pace talent. Besides SA speedster Anrich Mortje, India stalwart Mohammed Shami and Sri Lanka’s Dushmanta Chameera, the domestic pacers include Mayank Yadav, Naman Tewari, Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan and Arjun Tendulkar.”
“We’ve got all these guys who are fit. We have to work out tomorrow which players are going to fit the puzzle,” he said. A red soil pitch that could support pacers is likely to be used.
Langer said: “There is so much talent in this country. The hard thing for me and the selection committee is trying to fit 24 players, who could all be in the first eleven… But that’s the responsibility of leadership, we have to work out the best eleven to go into our team.”
Capitals’ solid batting line-up includes Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw and David Miller besides skipper and allrounder Axar Patel. In-form Lungi Ngidi will lead the bowling, but there will be anticipation over whether J& K pacer Auqib Nabi, the domestic stalwart, gets to play.
