Lucknow Super Giants set to establish cricket academy in Ekana Stadium after 2023 ODI World Cup
LSG (Source: Twitter)
Lucknow Super Giants, one of the two new franchises in the Indian Premier League, along with Gujarat Titans, are set to start their academy after the completion of the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. The Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium in Lucknow will act as the institutional site for the Lucknow Super Giants. The venue is expected to be ready to act as an academy by December, later this year.
According to the reports, the Super Giants will collaborate with the academy in Ekana Sportz City and negotiations are underway between the two bodies. Ekana Stadium hosted its first match in the history of the Indian Premier League earlier this year when Super Giants took on Delhi Capitals. By setting up the academy, the franchise is expected to churn out talents from various parts of the region.
Negotiations are on between the two parties: Source
According to some of the officials, the academy will start functioning by January 2024. “Negotiations are on between the two parties, and we are confident to have the LSG-Ekana Cricket Academy functioning soon after the World Cup in December-January. There would be no merger of the Ekana cricket academy with the LSG Academy, but it would be a joint academy of both parties.” said a person privy to the negotiations between the two bodies.
Apart from Lucknow Super Giants, many other IPL franchises have also set up their academies. For example, Rajasthan Royals also set up their academy, which helped the stability and the growth of the maiden title winners. The setting up of such an academy can do a lot of good for both Lucknow Super Giants and the youngsters from the North Indian region.
For the 2024 season of IPL, LSG has changed a lot of coaching personnel. As Andy Flower’s stint as the Head coach came to an end, the Lucknow-based franchise appointed Justin Langer as their new Head coach. The franchise has also opted for MSK Prasad as its new Strategic Consultant. According to reports, Gautam Gambhir might not continue as the mentor of LSG for IPL 2024.
