Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) head coach Justin Langer voiced his dipleasure at the mega-auction being conducted every three years in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Franchises have had to sacrifice the core they have built due to the retention policy, and build from scratch due to the infamous model in place.
The rule has contributed to maintaining the level of intrigue in the league, and a lifeline for the under-performing franchises. But, it has not been received well by the majority, who lament the lack of continuity.
LSG, for instance, had to part ways with several players who were part of their first-ever setup since their inception in 2022. The franchise retained five players before the IPL 2025 mega auction, and built a new squad led by the historic INR 27 crore acquisition of Rishabh Pant.
Langer admitted he would have ideally loved to retain 20 players from LSG’s 2024 batch and build a culture instead of conducting a shake up.
“Last year we had 25 players, we retained 5, the rest 20 went back in the pool. Then you have this mega auction, and then you start all over again every three years. It is bizarre. Can you tell any other sport where this happens? In my perfect world, I’d retain 20 players and build a culture, but that is not how it works,” Langer said on the Beyond 23 Cricket Podcast (14:50).
Langer has had the opportunity to work with a relatively well-settled squad during his time with Western Australia, Perth Scorchers, and the Australian men’s cricket team. The unstable dynamics and structure of the IPL presents itself as a huge challenge even for the most accomplished of coaches.
“They just practice, practice, practice” – Justin Langer hails the work ethic of Indian players
Justin Langer was left impressed by the Indian players’ dedication towards the craft, and praised them for utilising all of the resources at their disposal.
“The hunger in India for work, I’ve never seen anything like it. They just practice, practice, practice. It is insane. I always thought we worked hard, but these guys are on a different level,” Langer concluded (15:37).
LSG have handed chances to the emerging players in their squad amid an injury crisis to their bowling department. The likes of Prince Yadav, M Siddharth, and Digvesh Rathi have made a positive impression in the 2025 IPL season.
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Edited by Gokul Nair
