Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has dismissed Arjun Tendulkar’s chances of getting playing time at Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2026. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said the left-arm pacer will likely spend the entire season on the bench given LSG’s stacked pace attack.
Arjun joined LSG after the Mumbai Indians traded him ahead of the IPL 2026 mini auction in December at his base price of INR 30 lakh.
Why Ashwin Thinks Arjun Tendulkar Will Not Get a Game
Ashwin pointed directly at the depth of LSG’s fast bowling lineup as the main reason. The franchise boasts Mayank Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, and Akash Singh in their pace unit. With so many established options ahead of him, Arjun faces an almost impossible task breaking into the playing XI.
Ashwin did not hold back in his assessment. He said injuries across the pace unit would be the only realistic path for Arjun to get a game this season. In five IPL appearances across three seasons with the Mumbai Indians, Arjun has picked up just three wickets.
He made his long-awaited IPL debut against KKR and bowled two overs for 17 runs without taking a wicket. He played four matches in 2023 and just one in 2024 under Hardik Pandya.
Ashwin Also Questions LSG’s Playoff Chances This Season
Beyond his comments on Arjun, Ashwin also cast serious doubt over LSG’s overall prospects in IPL 2026. He claimed to have clarity on the top three teams and insisted LSG does not even feature in the race for fourth, fifth, or sixth place.
LSG endured back-to-back disappointing campaigns, finishing seventh in both IPL 2024 and IPL 2025. The franchise will hope to turn things around when they open their IPL 2026 campaign against the Delhi Capitals on April 1.
Despite his limited IPL success, Arjun has shown improvement in domestic cricket. In 29 T20 matches, he has taken 35 wickets at a strike rate of 16.0 and scored 189 runs with the bat. However, translating that form into IPL opportunities at LSG looks extremely difficult given the competition ahead of him.
