I'm very grateful to be retained by Lucknow Super Giants: Aiden Markram

South Africa's T20 captain, Aiden Markram, said that he had enjoyed his time with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) last year in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The right-handed batter forged a successful opening partnership with Mitchell Marsh during the campaign. He finished with 445 runs in 13 matches at an average of 34.23 and a strike rate of 148.83.

On November 15, the last date for franchises to announce their retentions and releases, LSG opted to continue having Markram in their setup. The 31-year-old expressed his gratitude to the Lucknow-based franchise for retaining him and said he is looking forward to another season with Rishabh Pant and Co.

"Yeah, it's great. I really enjoyed my time with the Lucknow franchise last year. I made some really good friendships and enjoyed just a few months together with the squad. So, I'm very grateful to be retained and obviously looking forward to another season with them," Markram said in a video posted by LSG in 'X'.

I think the competition looks really promising for us: Markram

Markram said that LSG could have reached the playoffs this year had they won a few more crunch moments. The Super Giants finished in seventh place in the standings, with six wins and eight defeats from 14 matches. The Centurion-born hoped that the team would build on the good things they did in IPL 2025 and have a strong campaign next year.

"You have to be really good as a team to do well in the IPL. I don't think we were very far off last season. A couple of moments here and there and a few results would have looked different. Before you know it, you've qualified for the knockout. So, definitely not overcomplicating anything. I think trying to do the things we did well, try to redo those things and win a couple more crunch moments. Before you know it, I think the competition looks really promising for us," Markram explained.

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Markram is currently in India with the touring South Africa squad. The opening batter registered scores of 31 and 4 in the first Test at Eden Gardens, which the Proteas won by 30 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.