Pathan pointed out that the franchise’s patience now needs to be rewarded. “Mayank Yadav has played six matches in two years, it is not enough. He is a retained player. He has to be available this year. If there is no place for him in the team, then that is a separate thing. The franchise has supported him. Mohsin Khan missed last year entirely, and even in the seasons before, he has not played all the games. But they have been backed; no other franchise does this. I have seen KKR and MI do it, but many franchises run out of patience after one or two seasons,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel. On the bowling front, Pathan feels LSG possess significant depth despite releasing Akash Deep. He highlighted the importance of Mohammed Shami, who is expected to lead the attack. “Their fast bowling is quite strong, they have a lot of options. Shami has played so much domestic cricket, he is in rhythm, and is experienced. Everyone knows that if there are seaming conditions, then you will get a bank of two overs with Shami. Last year, he had to bowl on flat wickets in Hyderabad. I think he will get much more help from the Lucknow pitch,” Pathan added. Shami will be supported by a strong Indian pace unit that includes Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar, and Naman Tiwari. Pathan also reflected on LSG’s journey as a franchise, suggesting they are still trying to define their identity after four seasons. The team has moved on from early pillars like KL Rahul, Ravi Bishnoi, and Marcus Stoinis, while undergoing multiple changes in coaching staff and branding. “This is a team that is searching for its identity. If you look at the Mumbai Indians, you associate it with the great Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah. Then you associate Chennai with MS Dhoni, and RCB with Virat Kohli. In comparison, Lucknow is quite a young team. It seemed that Gautam Gambhir’s stamp would be on this team for a long time. Gambhir has since left LSG, gone to KKR, and is now with the Indian team. This team has a lot of potential,” Pathan explained. The franchise, which made the playoffs in its first two seasons under Rahul before exiting in the Eliminator, has since struggled, finishing seventh in the last two editions.

Despite the setback, Iyer worked hard to regain his fitness and return to competitive cricket. He resumed playing as Mumbai’s captain in domestic cricket and had mixed results afterwards, including a modest ODI series against New Zealand. Still, his focus remained on improving and leading from the front. Speaking again about his recovery, he said, “It is always challenging to come back after an injury. I had lost around seven kilos, and it took a lot of effort to gain that weight back. But I love challenges. I am glad I overcame that part of my life, and I am back here proudly representing the team.” Now leading Punjab Kings, Iyer is fully focused on winning the IPL trophy. “Expectations are high, which is fun. I love the challenge. But the important thing is that whenever we step in, we have to win. My eye is on the trophy,” he added. He emphasised team bonding off the field, saying, “This is the period where we live as a family for two months,” and highlighted how spending time together helps performance.Teammate Arshdeep Singh echoed the positive energy, saying, “When you feel the pressure, it is a privilege.”

In the T20 World Cup, Pakistan failed to reach the semifinals and then suffered a disappointing ODI series defeat against Bangladesh, prompting a strong reaction from the cricketer. He described the current phase as one of the weakest he has seen and blamed both players and management for the decline.

Strong criticism of players and PCB

Shehzad questioned the quality and impact of the current group of players, especially those who have been consistently backed by the board. He said, “The calibre of your players is not at that level, which was built up as a brand by the Pakistan Cricket Board for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 5 and 7 years ago. These 6-8 boys… they are also the face of the PSL. They are also the face of our Pakistan team. Will they change Pakistan’s destiny?”He further accused the PCB of heavily investing in a small group of players without getting results. “You provided all the sponsorships to those boys, endorsed them, and invested money in them. You gave them captaincies in the PSL, right? You made them the thumb of the Pakistan team. You handed over the entire Pakistan cricket team to those 6 boys and their agents. And what have they done now? The fire they have lit in the jungle, the fun and parties they have had, the pockets they have filled, the enjoyment they have had… they haven’t given Pakistan any wins by doing so,” he added.

‘PCB looks weak, players not accountable’

Shehzad also slammed the players for not taking responsibility and said the board appears powerless in front of them. “Such is the audacity (of the players) that even today, they are not ready to admit that we are responsible. Not a single one of those players. Even today, they play the blame game. Even today, their ego is such that it isn’t breaking. So weak is the Pakistan Cricket Board now,” he said.He concluded with a harsh take on PCB’s functioning, adding, “Whenever you talk about any player, they start spinning stories. I have never seen the Pakistan Cricket Board this weak in my life, as weak as this PCB is. They have power, right? But in their decision-making, they appear to be kneeling before their players. This PCB can’t do anything. The work they were supposed to do — bringing in new faces — they didn’t. What they do is, after every event, they try to pull a new trick, but the public has now caught their pattern.”

The spotlight, unsurprisingly, was on Virat Kohli. The former captain looked in rhythm right away as the session opened with a team huddle, where Kohli and head coach Andy Flower addressed a partially assembled squad.Skipper Rajat Patidar was the most notable absentee and is expected to join on Thursday. Batting coach Dinesh Karthik was also missing, while left-arm pacer Yash Dayal, retained for Rs 5 crore and facing criminal charges, was also absent. Among overseas recruits, only England wicketkeeper-batter Jordan Cox has arrived so far.However, TOI has learnt that the director of cricket Mo Bobat and the logistics team have mapped out travel plans for the overseas players well in advance, ensuring minimal disruption despite the ongoing unrest in West Asia.Amid the noise of construction work inside the stadium, Kohli’s bat provided the loudest sound. His trademark lofted strokes repeatedly cleared the midwicket boundary, landing deep into the stands.Kohli trained alongside Karnataka skipper and southpaw Devdutt Padikkal, with the duo taking turns against a mix of pace and spin. In an interesting move, RCB did away with net bowlers for the session, relying instead on their own bowling unit and sidearm specialists.The 37-year-old appeared particularly assured against spin, stepping out confidently against the Krunal Pandya-led spin attack. He showed similar intent against Bhuvneshwar Kumar and new recruit Venkatesh Iyer, maintaining intensity throughout.RCB, who returned to the Bengaluru venue after much dilly-dally, will open their campaign against fellow southerners Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28. They will play four more home games at the venue and play two fixtures in Raipur.

Unbox event scrapped

The franchise’s popular ‘Unbox’ event — a fan engagement initiative that has drawn large crowds in recent seasons — will not be held this year.While there hasn’t been an official announcement, it appears the tight schedule and the planned mock drills at the stadium on Mar 23 and 26 led to the decision.