“I was shocked to see that 90 per cent of the fans at the Atal Bihari Vajpyee Ekana stadium were rooting for Kohli rather than supporting the home team of LSG. We could have won that match had there been local support,” Sanjay Singh, a resident of Gomati Nagar said.
This was replicated on May 3 again when in a rain-curtailed match, the stadium was awashed with yellow – the CSK – colour. Shalabh Saxena, Sport Editor, The Pioneer, who was present at the stadium to cover the match, recounts that LSG supporters were confined only to a cornor
Lucknow is a city with a rich history and culture, known for its traditions, food, and hospitality. But when it comes to supporting their home team, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), the city’s residents seem to be falling short. It is a shame to see the overwhelming support for teams like Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), while LSG, the team that represents Lucknow, is left neglected.
This neglect of the home team is a disgrace for the people of Lucknow. It sends a message to the players that their efforts are not appreciated and that they are not valued by their own community. It also reflects poorly on the city, as it shows that the people of Lucknow are not willing to support local talent and are more interested in following the crowd.
Moreover, this lack of support for the home team has a direct impact on the morale of the players. Cricket is not just a sport, it is a passion for many players, and they put in a lot of hard work and dedication to succeed in this field. When they see that their efforts are not being appreciated by the people of their own city, it can be demotivating and disheartening.
LSG is a relatively new team in the IPL, having made their debut in 2022. The team has a mix of young and experienced players, and they have shown great potential in their matches so far. However, despite their promising start, they have failed to attract a significant fan base in Lucknow.
The IPL is an excellent platform for cities to showcase their talent, and for the players to feel the support of their home fans. However, when the home team is ignored in favor of other teams, it takes away from the spirit of the game and undermines the hard work put in by the local players.
It is time for the people of Lucknow to rally behind their home team and show their support. It is essential to recognize and appreciate the local talent and give them the encouragement they need to succeed. Supporting LSG not only benefits the team but also helps promote cricket in the city and inspires young players to strive for excellence.
Pix courtesy: Santosh Suri
Dada, before Ekana…wankhede, chinnaswamy and even Eden were painted yellow as cricket fans were in the impression that this could be MSD’s last IPL.
Had Dhoni was not the part of CSK it would be full blue. Despite the rains, attendance on May 3 was highest so far and credit goes one Nd only Mahi.
I partially agree with Mr Abhinav, but disagree on local faces missing from LSG. The fact is, no IPL team had local players. CSK captain is from Jharkhand, RCB from SA , KKR has Nitish Rana from Delhi and Delhi Capital’s captain from Australia. In fact RCB does not have a player from Karnataka, sane is true with KKR, DC and other franchise. But, I believe one should support local team. This gives encouragement to organizers too.
Well written and thought provoking writeup, dada.
Sorry to say sir but your assertion is wrong. First captains of KKR, DC, Punjab Kings, MI, and GT were/are Sourav Ganguly, Virendra Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar/Rohit Sharma, and Hardik Pandya respectively. Captains of RCB and CSK were Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. These two players have massive fan following throughout India. KL Rahul pales in their comparison. Heck RRs Sanju Samson has more fan following than KL Rahul. The exceptions to this rule are RR and SRH but they have already won IPL titles so their local crowd backs them. LSG is the only team in the roster that has no heroes period. They don’t have any local star nor have they won any trophy. There simply is no craze amongst the people for this outfit. Everyone knows it is RSPG in disguise.
Simply put LSG is not worthy of support. First, it all began in 2021 when Sanjeev Goenka launched a campaign to give a name to the Lucknow franchise and asked people of the city to suggest names. Quite a few people sent in their suggestions but when the name was announced, we came to know that it was none other than rehashed Pune Super Giants. So, the team is not really a Lucknow team in spirit. Second, they made KL Rahul captain of the team who is a Bangalorean and doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. Today his place in Indian team is also suspect and his performance in IPL this season has been poor. Third, they made an egotistical Gautam Gambhir, a Dilli waala, the mentor of the team, who will fight on a whim. His altercation with Virat was embarrassing to say the least. Fourth, how many local UP players are there in LSG. There are only two players who play for UP in domestic cricket. They are Mohsin Khan, born in UP, and Karan Sharma, born in Delhi. So, which local talent is LSG promoting? People would have supported LSG if it was really a Lucknow team in letter and in spirit. This is a team only of an industrialist and has nothing to do with Lucknow!
Well, I don’t follow sports. So I don’t support LSG, though I am a born Lucknowite 🙂