Eden diary: Lucknow Super Giants feed off success on the football pitch

What happens when an IPL franchise like Lucknow Super Giants and football heavyweights Mohun Bagan Super Giant have the same ownership? No prizes for guessing, they will try to feed off each other's energy. And industrial baron Sanjeev Goenka did not let this opportunity go waste either on Sunday-Monday.

First up, Goenka invited LSG captain and star draw Rishabh Pant to watch Mohun Bagan’s crucial Indian Indian Super League semi-final against Jamshedpur FC at the Salt Lake Stadium on Monday evening. Pant, accompanied by head coach Justin Langer, Vijay Dahiya and a few other members of the team, was bowled over by the electric atmosphere and nearly 60,000 fans at the cavernous venue.

Mohun Bagan, who had earlier assured themselves of the ISL League Shield, managed to overturn a 2-1 deficit of the first leg against Jamshedpur FC when they sealed a 2-0 win in the second leg semi-final of the ISL Cup to secure a 3-2 victory on aggregate. Mohun Bagan will now face Sunil Chhetri’s Bengaluru FC in the final on Saturday, which will also be played at their home ground. ‘’Good to see the game from the other side for a change. What a match and what an epic experience,’’ Pant posted on his X handle.

Mohun Bagan Super Giants stars with Sanjeev Goenka at Eden

Then on Tuesday, the top overseas professionals of Mohun Bagan — Australians Jamie McLaren and Dimitri Petratos, Scotsman Greg Stewart and Alberto Rodriguez of Spain — paid a visit to Eden as Goenka’s guests to watch LSG rake up a mammoth 238/3 against Kolkata Knight Riders. It must have been a pleasure for McLaren and Petratos to watch compatriot Mitchell Marsh on song as he scored a breezy 81 off 48 balls, his fourth fifty of this season.

While Eden is the home ground of KKR, the Lucknow Super Giants management had played their cards well ever since their IPL bow to try and establish an emotional connect with Kolkata fans, who are supporters of Mohun Bagan. In the 2023 edition, they received permission from the BCCI to field the team in Mohun Bagan colours, though that led to a skirmish between fans of both teams on that occasion.

This time around, they refrained from any such gimmicks, though it led to disappointment among a section of the LSG fans on social media.