There is a perception among many people about Lucknow Super Giants team owner Sanjeev Goenka that he vents out his anger on the players for the defeat. In fact, after the team’s defeat in 2024, some videos of his conversation with KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant last year had gone viral, in which it seemed that Goenka was angry. Fast bowler Mohammed Shami defended him on this issue and said that it is natural for an owner who invests huge amount of money to build a team and have expectations for the players.

Some videos of Sanjeev Goenka’s argument with the captains went viral, after which fans raised questions on his attitude. Many memes were made regarding this and went viral. Mohammed Shami said that whenever he has met Sanjeev Goenka, every time the discussion has been logical and the discussion has been about the team only.

What did Mohammed Shami say?

When asked about Goenka on the ‘Unplugged’ podcast, Mohammed Shami said that when someone buys a team with such a huge amount, it is normal to have expectations from the players. He further said, “If Goenka ji is possessive then there is nothing wrong in it. There is nothing wrong in it if he expects good performance and best from his players.”

On the memes made about him, Shami said, “A lot of memes have been made, which is not right. If you try to get Rs 5,000 from someone, he will be worried that his Rs 5,000 or Rs 10,000 might get lost.” Regarding his relationship with Sanjeev Goenka, Shami said, “We have met 2 or 3 times, whatever was discussed was with logic and about the team. I enjoyed talking to him.” Let us tell you that Goenka had bought Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 7,090 crore.

Shami bowled well in the first match

Lucknow Super Giants lost in the first match of IPL 2026, although the bowlers made a good start by defending 142 runs. Mohammed Shami had dismissed KL Rahul on the first ball of the innings. Shami was economical, giving only 28 runs in his 4 overs.

Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals will face each other today, this is the first match of both in this edition (IPL 2026). The performance of the previous edition DC and LSG was mixed. Both the teams are still waiting for their first IPL trophy, the team would like to make a positive start by winning today. All eyes will be on Lucknow captain Rishabh Pant, who could not do much with the bat last year. On the other hand, everyone’s eyes are also on Delhi captain Akshar Patel, will he be able to lead the team to victory with his all-round performance. Patel’s performance in batting was good last year, although he could not leave a mark in bowling. But today a new season is beginning for both, know who seems to have the upper hand today.

Last season, Lucknow Super Giants had bad luck, their main bowlers were not fit. But this time Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan are now fit, this time experienced Mohammed Shami is also in the team. On the other hand, Lungi Ngidi can play an important role for Delhi Capitals, who was the bowler taking the most wickets (12) for South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2026. Apart from Lungi, there is Aaqib Nabi in Delhi, on whom everyone’s eyes will be fixed.

Who will have the upper hand today?

Spinners of Delhi Capitals can play important roles, captain Akshar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav will be important. Fast bowler Lungi Ngidi can prove to be fatal, whose T20 World Cup and the India tour before that was excellent. The team’s batting also looks good, KL Rahul, David Miller, Nitish Rana have good experience.

On the other hand, Lucknow Super Giants will play today at their home ground (Ekana Stadium), this team has foreign batsmen like Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, whose bat breathes fire. Rishabh Pant can also prove to be dangerous. All eyes will also be on the performance of Mohammed Shami, who has not been able to make a comeback in Team India for a long time. Avesh Khan and Mayank Yadav are also fit.

Today Lucknow Super Giants seem to have the upper hand. The team can also get the advantage of its home ground, the team has a good combination of spin and fast bowling, the team’s batting also looks balanced.

Lucknow Super Giants Squad

Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper/captain), Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Akshat Raghuvanshi, Mohammed Shami, Matthew Britzke, Josh Inglis, Mayank Prabhu Yadav, Akash Maharaj Singh, Himmat Singh, Mukul Chaudhary, Arshin Kulkarni, Naman Tiwari, Arjun Tendulkar, Manimaran Siddharth, Avesh Khan, Enrique Norkhia, Shahbaz Ahmed.

Delhi Capitals Squad

Axar Patel (captain), Abhishek Porel, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Prithvi Shaw, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, David Miller, Vipraj Nigam, Dushmantha Chameera, Kyle, Jamieson, T Natarajan, Lungi Ngidi, Mukesh Kumar, Sameer Rizvi, Madhav Tiwari, Pathum Nissanka, Sahil Parakh, Aaqib Nabi Dar, Tripura Vijay, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Rana, Karun Nair.