Lucknow Super Giants’ captain Rishabh Pant with teammates (PTI Photo/Shahbaz Khan)

Ex-India batter Abhinav Mukund has questioned the direction and team structure of Lucknow Super Giants after their defeat to Delhi Capitals, pointing to a lack of clarity in how the side is shaping up in IPL 2026. The criticism followed a convincing six-wicket win for Delhi, powered by Sameer Rizvi’s unbeaten 70 and his decisive 119-run partnership with Tristan Stubbs, which took the game away from LSG at the Ekana Stadium. Mukund admitted he remains unconvinced about Lucknow’s identity as a team, especially when compared to other relatively new franchises. “I’m very unsure about LSG. They are a very young side in the IPL. So are Gujarat Titans, who are slowly building an identity towards who they are. They might have lost their first game (in 2026) but you know what Gujarat Titans will come up with on a certain day. “They are top-heavy. They rely on their bowlers. They rely on their experience in the middle in terms of their spinners. With Lucknow, you always feel like there is no identity within the team,” he told ESPNCricinfo. He went on to highlight what he sees as a key difference between the two sides. While Gujarat Titans have established a clear approach built around their bowling strength and spin resources, Mukund believes Lucknow continue to lack a defined style of play. According to him, LSG’s performances often hinge on moments of individual brilliance rather than a structured system. “You expect performances from the top, you expect a sudden performance, like a Mark Wood sometimes comes up and picks up five wickets. You want those individual brilliant performances to drive your team. It’s always been the case for Lucknow.” Mukund also raised concerns over team balance and selection decisions in the match. “Even today, I felt the balance of the team was pretty off, seven batters and four bowlers. And then you had to sacrifice your find of last season. I know he may not have followed that up with an excellent domestic season. He’s not been amongst the wickets. “He’s not had a great domestic season but that doesn’t mean – you’ve released Ravi Bishnoi, which means you’ve had your faith in Digvesh Rathi and said ‘okay, you are my number one spinner and you don’t play him the first match,” he noted. With LSG already facing questions after their opening defeat, Mukund’s remarks underline growing concerns around the team’s balance, selection clarity, and overall identity as the season begins.