LUCKNOW, Aug. 14 -- Captain Sameer Rizvi and coach Gyanendra Pandey hold a special bond that has paid their team rich dividends in the UPTwenty20 League, more so in its last edition when the two had the last laugh in a match with Lucknow Falcons at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium here. Rizvi-led Kanpur Superstars needed eight runs in six balls. A six by the skipper to Bhuvneshwar Kumar broke many hearts as Rizvi's side made it to the final. Besides Rizvi's fine show with the willow, pacer Mohsin Khan, too, did great with his bowling, allowing Lucknow Falcons to score just seven runs during the one-over-a-side encounter. Memories of that match are still fresh even after Kanpur lost the final battle against Meerut Mavericks by five wickets. Now, the duo look forward to a new season that starts Sunday. Kanpur's opening match is against defending champions Meerut. Both Rizvi and Pandey want to turn the tables this time. "No change in our planning. This time we want to lift the trophy. We missed the top finish by a whisker, but this time we don't want that to happen again. We are well prepared," Sameer Rizvi told HT on Wednesday soon after the team's strenuous indoor training session at the Sports Galaxy Ground. "The whole team is working hard together, and our practice is going very well. It's raining this time as well, but we are doing our bit in the indoor session. Even in odd conditions, we are not missing our daily training session," said Rizvi. He said since the team has some new faces, understanding everyone was also very important. "Once you have new faces on the side, you need to have a good understanding with them as it helps you as a skipper to make use of the individual talents," he said. Over the last two seasons, Rizvi has become a prominent player of the UPT20 League, showcasing impressive performances, particularly in the 2023 and 2024 editions of the tournament. He made headlines with his performance, scoring 455 runs in nine innings and this included two centuries, one of which was the fastest of the tournament (achieved in 47 deliveries), and he was the leading six-hitter for his team. Known for his big hitting in the shortest format, Rizvi continued his strong showing, accumulating 469 runs in 13 matches with a strike rate of 152.76, finishing as the second-leading run-scorer of the tournament. He also played a match-winning innings of 89 runs off 51 balls for the Kanpur Superstars. Rizvi's strong show in the UPT20 League has also caught the attention of IPL franchises, leading to his trials with several teams. He was ultimately bought by Chennai Super Kings in the 2024 IPL auction for Rs 8.40 crores, becoming the most expensive uncapped player that year. After a season with limited opportunities at CSK, he was signed by the Delhi Capitals for Rs 95 lakh in the 2025 IPL auction. "I haven't set any personal goal for myself in the new season, but certainly next season's IPL will be on my mind. You do well in the regional league, and you automatically get calls from the franchise for the IPL. My aim this season is to keep scoring runs and help my side lift the trophy in the UPT20 League," he said. Coach Gyanendra Pandey, who also happens to be one of the most successful coaches of Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket, also feels that winning the trophy was the top priority of everyone in his team. "Same planning as last year. It's true that we couldn't get a good start then, but I am sure that those mistakes will not be repeated this time," said Pandey, who also happens to be one of the most successful captains of Uttar Pradesh in the past. "Everyone is working hard. We have a few new faces, and they are talented. Everyone is expected to put their best foot forward from the very first match. If we could do this, we will certainly be finishing on top," said Pandey, adding, "I have told the boys to play their natural game and hold no pressure."...