The Lucknow Super Giants, who have finished third in the standings the last two seasons and lost both of those seasons in the Eliminator, will be keen to go the full route this time. The middle-order batsman and wicketkeeper KL Rahul will be the main subject of attention as it relates to his performance in terms of strike rate and fitness during the T20 World Cup. as well as how the group performs in Justin Langer’s first IPL coaching assignment as the team’s new head coach. The West Indian, Nicholas Pooran, was named vice captain and wants to be a major player on the field and in terms of leadership.
After completing this cycle, they are ranked third (Eliminator exit) in 2022 and third (Eliminator exit) in 2023.
Important additions include Ashton Turner (auction), Shivam Mavi (auction), David Willey (auction), Shamar Joseph (replacement), and Devdutt Padikkal (via trade).
Important omissions: Avesh Khan (via trade), Mark Wood (removed).
Entire Squad:
Amit Mishra, Devdutt Padikkal, Shivam Mavi, Arshin Kulkarni, M. Siddharth, Arshad Khan, Yudhvir Singh, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Prerak Mankad. Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, David Willey, Shamar Joseph, and Naveen-ul-Haq are among those who are overseas.
One statistic from the previous year that they should fix
The Super Giants bowlers had the lowest average of any club in the 2016 IPL, taking just 14 wickets at 53.79 throughout the Powerplay. The pace department will be looking to Shamar Joseph to turn things around after Mark Wood withdrew and Avesh Khan was traded. Their cause is further enhanced by Mohsin Khan’s reappearance.
Keep an eye on KL Rahul.
While Rahul is no longer a lock to make the Indian T20I team—he last played in the T20I semifinals in Adelaide in November 2022—he will be keen to make his case as a wicketkeeper-batter option when the Ajit Agarkar-led panel selects the team for the 2024 T20 World Cup, which gets underway shortly after the IPL. Over the years, Rahul, the opener, has used a methodical approach with the bat, whether with the Punjab Kings or the Lucknow Super Giants. His new role as a middle order hitter will allow him to play with greater freedom. Over the course of the last three seasons combined, his powerplay strike rate is 112.5. Rahul, however, has produced better results in the later stages, scoring 143.14 in overs 7–15 and 169.93 in overs 16–20.
Accidents and accessibility:
Rahul participated in nine IPL games in the previous season before missing the rest of the competition due to a thigh injury. Given that he missed four Test matches against England because of a quadriceps injury, there are questions about his fitness going into the 2024 Indian Premier League. However, he recently uploaded photos of himself working out at the NCA to his Instagram account, which should instill some confidence in LSG.
One of the retentions, Mark Wood, withdrew from the competition in order to manage his workload in advance of the T20 World Cup, per the England and Wales Cricket Board. Shamar Joseph, the West Indies star, was brought in by LSG during their Test tour of Australia.
Potential Impact Player strategy and possible XI:
Shamar Joseph/Naveen ul Haq, Amit Mishra/Shivam Mavi, Devdutt Padikkal, Quinton de Kock, Deepak Hooda, KL Rahul (c & wk), Nicholas Pooran, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan
Ayush Badoni is an impact player who could replace Mishra or Maavi based on the result of the toss.
