Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 21 (ANI): Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Saturday visited Ayodhya to offer prayers at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple ahead of the upcoming 2026 season.

Rishabh Pant and his team were accorded the privilege of viewing the 'Shri Ram Yantra' -- a sacred geometric diagram, for the very first time since its consecration.

With deep reverence, the entire team also sought the darshan of Shri Ram Lala (the infant Lord Ram) and the Shri Ram family deities.

According to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Communication Centre of Ayodhya Dham, the skipper Rishabh Pant, in particular, sat apart for approximately five minutes, immersing himself in deep meditation.

Rajnish Sharma, who assisted with the darshan arrangements, stated that the delegation, comprising twenty players, IPL team owner Sanjiv Goenka, Rishabh Pant, and fast bowler Mayank Yadav -- all offered their prayers to Lord Shri Ram.

The team of players also participated in the Bhog Aarti (ritual offering of food and prayers). The players' delegation had come from Lucknow and returned directly to the Ekana Stadium there following their visit.

After offering prayers at the temple, LSG Owner Goenka told ANI, 'Offering prayers to Lord Ram is never enough, and with the IPL season about to begin, all the players offered prayers at the temple here. With Lord Ram's blessings, everything falls into place.'

The visit was part of the team's pre-season engagements, aimed at seeking blessings before the high-profile tournament. Goenka and Pant were accompanied by select LSG management members during the visit, where they offered prayers.

On March 11, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the schedule for the first phase of the 2026 IPL edition, which is to be played from March 28 to April 12.

The Pant-led LSG will begin their IPL 2026 season campaign against Delhi Capitals on April 1, followed by their matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 5, Kolkata Knight Riders on April 9 and Gujarat Titans on April 12 in the first phase, which was announced by BCCI.

Lucknow Super Giants squad for IPL 2026:

Rishabh Pant(captain), Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Mukul Choudhary, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis, Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahamad, Arshin Kulkarni, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ayush Badoni, Mohammad Shami, Avesh Khan, M. Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar, Anrich Nortje, Naman Tiwari, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan. (ANI)