4 LSG Players Who Could Be Released Before IPL 2027 Auction
Lucknow Super Giants endured a genuinely difficult IPL 2026. The franchise was officially eliminated from playoff contention on May 23, when Punjab Kings beat them by seven wickets at Ekana Stadium, with LSG finishing 10th on the points table. Injuries to key overseas bowlers compounded an already stretched campaign, leaving captain Rishabh Pant with a squad that rarely had its intended bowling attack fully available at once.
That context matters heavily for this list of lsg released players 2027 candidates. Unlike the GT players who could be released before IPL 2027, Lucknow’s candidates are not simply fringe members of a successful squad. LSG’s problems were more serious and were mainly caused by injuries and poor player availability. These four names could join the wider list of IPL 2027 released players as Lucknow look to build a more reliable and consistently available squad.
4 Lucknow Super Giants Players Who Could Be Released Before IPL 2027
| Player | Role | Price | Matches | Key Stat | Economy/SR | Release Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avesh Khan | Bowler | ₹9.75 crore | 7 | 6 wickets | Econ 11.06 | Expensive Indian pacer, high economy |
| Mayank Yadav | Bowler | ₹11 crore | Injury-managed, no reliable 2026 tally | — | — | Recurring injuries, minimal game time |
| Anrich Nortje | Bowler | ₹2 crore | 1 | 0 wickets | Econ 9.00 | Injured and ruled out for the season |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | All-rounder | ₹2 crore | 0 | No 2026 appearances | — | Ruled out of the entire season, injury |
1. Avesh Khan – 6 wickets in 7 matches (2026)
Lucknow paid ₹9.75 crore for Avesh Khan, continuing to back him as a senior Indian pace option who could operate through the middle overs and at the death. His IPL 2026 season didn’t deliver the control that price demands.
Avesh Khan IPL 2026 Stats:
- Matches: 7
- Wickets: 6
- Bowling average: 45.50
- Economy rate: 11.06
- Best figures: 2/23
An economy rate above 11 from a bowler earning close to ₹10 crore is a difficult number to defend, and six wickets from seven matches means the expensive overs weren’t being offset by regular breakthroughs. Reports from the season confirm Avesh was used widely by captain Rishabh Pant through the middle overs, which suggests the team trusted him with responsibility — the returns simply didn’t match the price tag or the workload.
Why he could be released:
He’s one of LSG’s most expensive Indian bowlers, but his economy rate was high and he didn’t take enough wickets to justify the cost. At that price, LSG need considerably more control than they got this season.
2. Mayank Yadav – Injury-disrupted 2026 season
LSG retained Mayank Yadav for a substantial ₹11 crore ahead of IPL 2026, continuing to bet on his express pace despite a troubled recent history. He missed almost all of IPL 2025 with a stress fracture in his back that required surgery in New Zealand, followed by an extended rehabilitation program.
- Declared himself fit in late March 2026 after an eight-month rehab program at the BCCI Centre of Excellence
- Featured primarily as an impact substitute option rather than a guaranteed starting XI member through the season’s opening weeks
- Does not appear in IPL 2026’s official run-scoring or wicket-taking tables, and a fully reliable, single-sourced IPL 2026-only match and wicket count could not be confirmed with confidence
What is clear, regardless of the exact numbers, is that Mayank’s season was defined by careful workload management rather than consistent, high-impact bowling. For a bowler retained at ₹11 crore specifically because of his rare 150-plus kph pace, two consecutive disrupted seasons make it increasingly difficult for LSG to build their bowling plans around him.
Why he could be released:
He’s shown genuine match-winning pace in the past, but injuries have limited him to almost nothing over the last two seasons. At ₹11 crore, LSG can’t keep waiting indefinitely for him to stay fit and deliver consistently.
3. Anrich Nortje – 1 match, 0 wickets (2026)
Lucknow signed the South African fast bowler for ₹2 crore at the IPL 2026 mini-auction, hoping his raw pace — he has bowled deliveries over 155 kph — would add a genuine strike option to the bowling attack. His season ended almost as soon as it began.
Anrich Nortje IPL 2026 Stats:
- Matches: 1
- Wickets: 0
- Runs conceded: 39
- Economy rate: 9.00
Nortje played just one match, against Delhi Capitals, remaining wicketless while conceding 39 runs, before LSG’s bowling coach Bharat Arun confirmed he had left the camp mid-season due to injury and would not return for the remainder of IPL 2026. That leaves LSG with almost nothing to show from a player specifically bought to bolster their overseas pace options.
Why he could be released:
He played a single match all season before an injury ended his campaign entirely. LSG have already dealt with a season without an overseas pace presence because of it, and given his injury history at previous franchises too, they may look for a more reliably available overseas quick.
4. Wanindu Hasaranga – No IPL 2026 appearances
LSG signed the Sri Lankan spin-bowling all-rounder for ₹2 crore at the mini-auction, valuing his mystery spin and lower-order hitting. He never got the chance to feature at all.
Wanindu Hasaranga IPL 2026 Stats:
- Matches: 0
- Wickets: 0
Hasaranga sustained a hamstring injury during Sri Lanka’s opening match of the 2026 T20 World Cup and was subsequently unable to pass the mandatory fitness test required by Sri Lanka Cricket to receive his NOC for IPL participation. LSG confirmed in April that he would miss the tournament entirely and signed South African all-rounder George Linde as his direct replacement. A player with 340 T20 wickets to his name at the time of signing contributed zero cricket to LSG’s campaign.
Why he could be released:
He didn’t play a single game because he couldn’t even get medical clearance to join the squad. With his recurring hamstring issues going back to 2023, LSG may not want to gamble on his availability again for IPL 2027.
One More LSG Name to Watch
George Linde – Hasaranga’s replacement, ₹1 crore. Linde was brought in as a like-for-like injury replacement for Hasaranga and made his IPL debut in the process. His numbers were modest: 3 matches, 1 wicket at an economy rate of 8.91 with the ball, and 31 runs at a strike rate of 147.61 with the bat. As a mid-season replacement signing rather than an auction pick, Linde isn’t a traditional release candidate in the same sense as the others — but his limited sample and the fact that he was signed reactively rather than as a planned auction acquisition mean his spot in the squad for 2027 is far from guaranteed.
Why he’s a borderline case: He only got a handful of matches because he was a replacement signing, not an original squad pick. His numbers were fine for such a short run, but that doesn’t automatically earn him a spot when LSG plan their squad properly for next season.
Where This Leaves LSG
Lucknow’s problem in IPL 2026 wasn’t underperformance from fringe players — it was simply not having key bowlers available. Three specialist bowlers bought specifically to strengthen the attack barely featured through injury, and the one who did play regularly, Avesh Khan, came at a heavy cost without matching returns. That is very different from Rajasthan’s situation, where the RR players who could be released before IPL 2027 are mainly underused squad members rather than key parts of a major rebuild.
For LSG, the IPL 2027 auction is not about small changes. It is about building a bowling unit they can trust throughout the season. Delhi also face major squad decisions involving several DC players who could be released before IPL 2027. Expect the franchise to prioritise durability and fitness track record every bit as much as raw pace or reputation when they reshape this attack.
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Based on IPL 2026 performance, availability, and injury history, the four players most likely to be part of LSG’s release conversation are Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav, Anrich Nortje, and Wanindu Hasaranga, with George Linde as a borderline name to watch.
LSG were officially eliminated from playoff contention on May 23, 2026, after losing to Punjab Kings, and finished 10th on the points table. Injuries to key overseas bowlers, including Nortje and Hasaranga, left the bowling attack short of its intended firepower for large parts of the season.
Hasaranga sustained a hamstring injury during the 2026 T20 World Cup and failed to clear the fitness test required for his IPL NOC. He was ruled out of the entire IPL 2026 season and replaced by George Linde, meaning LSG got zero returns from his ₹2 crore signing.
Avesh played 7 matches and took 6 wickets at an economy rate of 11.06 and a bowling average of 45.50. For a bowler signed at ₹9.75 crore, those numbers fall short of what LSG need from a senior pace option.
Nortje played just one match, against Delhi Capitals, remaining wicketless while conceding 39 runs, before sustaining an injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season. LSG’s bowling coach confirmed he had left the camp mid-tournament.
