LSG bowlers to fly to Durban for training with SA20 team

Lucknow Super Giants are preparing to send their domestic bowlers to South Africa for fine-tuning their skills with Durban Super Giants, LSG's South African subsidiary, at the SA20, which is set to commence on December 26.

Pacers Avesh Khan and Mohsin Khan have been included in the preliminary shortlist and more are expected to join the pace duo. One of those could be Naman Tiwari, the 20-year-old left-arm pacer from Uttar Pradesh, roped in by LSG for INR 1 crore at the auction in Abu Dhabi recently. Avesh, Mohsin, and Naman do not hold BCCI’s central contract, and neither is part of their state teams; however, LSG have reached out to the BCCI to secure formal permission to ensure there is no breach of norms.

The move to fly the pacers to South Africa is to ensure that the likes of Avesh and Mohsin, who have been on the sidelines for a prolonged duration due to injuries, could make a gradual return to cricket and prepare for the IPL, which starts on March 26.

Madhya Pradesh’s right-arm pacer Avesh has been on the sidelines since the last IPL, while Uttar Pradesh’s left-arm pacer Moshin has missed both 2024 and 2025 seasons. Both are reportedly undergoing rehabilitation and are gradually increasing training. The Durban stint will pave the path for their return to action.

The Durban team’s support staff includes Lance Klusener, Tom Moody, Bharat Arun, and Carl Crowe. Klusener aside, the remaining three are also a part of the LSG coaching staff.

Lucknow Super Giants

Retained

Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh, Rishabh Pant (c), Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshin Kulkarni, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Akash Singh. Traded in: Mohammed Shami (from SRH), Arjun Tendulkar (from MI).

Players bought

Josh Inglis (8.60 cr), Mukul Choudhary (2.60 cr), Akshat Raghuwanshi (2.20 cr), Anrich Nortje (2 cr), Wanindu Hasaranga (2 cr), Naman Tiwari (1 cr)