Lucknow Super Giants managed to secure playoff berths in their first two seasons, but faltered in the knockouts, losing in the Eliminator in 2022 and 2023.
Captain and talisman KL Rahul’s participation though has everyone worried for the LSG. Even last season, the Indian star had been injured halfway through the tournament as Krunal Pandya took over as captain. During the first Test against England in Hyderabad, Rahul had once again suffered a strain in his quadriceps. Even though he was expected to join the Indian team by the third game, KL Rahul decided to rest for all the remaining games.
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But LSG will have South Africa’s Quinton de Kock and West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran, in case Rahul can’t keep wickets.
Devdutt Padikkal has been traded in and can open the innings, freeing Rahul to slot down the batting order as a likely audition for the India Team ahead of the T20 World Cup. But the likes of Krunal, Marcus Stoinis and Deepak Hooda will want their jobs not to be taken away.
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As for bowlers, West Indies’ Shamar Joseph was brought in for Mark Wood, who was withdrawn by England. Naveen-ul-Haq too want to show his versatility, given the chance.
Shivam Mavi too joins in and can good option alongside Yash Thakur and Mohsin Khan. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi will again be crucial for LSG this season.
LSG replaced Andy Flower with Justin Langer as head coach, while Gautam Gambhir moved on to join has joined Kolkata Knight Riders as their mentor.
How They Fared Last Time
LSG finished third on the points table to qualify for the playoffs with eight victories and five losses, gathering 17 points in the regular season. They had a positive net run rate of 0.284 at the end of the season but lost to Mumbai Indians in the eliminator.
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Quinton de Kock: A retired international star will want to do his name and reputation justice after a lackluster season last year. 143 runs from four games, before being replaced by Kyle Myers would hurt. In 2024, the wicket-keeper-batter averaged just 19.36 in his 12 games in the SA20. The 2024 IPl season may just be the make-or-break for Quinton de Kock.
Nicholas Pooran: The vice-captain this season for LSG, the West Indian star will hope to continue his good run with the bat and the gloves in the IPL. Last season, Pooran played in the middle order for LSG and racked up 358 runs in 15 matches at an impressive strike rate of 172.95. In 2024, he had an average of 43.00 with a strike-rate of 159.25 in SA20 and also scored 137 off 55 deliveries in the finals of the inaugural season of Major League Cricket.
KL Rahul: KL Rahul will get an all-clear from the National Cricket Academy to play but he has been advised against wicket-keeping in the first few games. And if he decides to go down the batting order, it will be interesting to see how he approaches his innings. Especially for someone who is often criticised for his strike rate despite his mountain of runs.
LSG Strongest Playing XI: KL Rahul (c), Quinton De Kock (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Nicolas Pooran, Krunal Pandya, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Shivam Mavi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Ravi Bishnoi, Amit Mishra (SUB)
Full Squad: Amit Mishra, Arshin Kulkarni, Ashton Turner*, Ayush Badoni, David Willey*, Deepak Hooda, Devdutt Padikkal, K Gowtham, KL Rahul ©, Krunal Pandya, Kyle Mayers*, M Siddharth, Marcus Stoinis*, Mayank Yadav, Mohd. Arshad Khan, Mohsin Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq*, Nicholas Pooran*, Prerak Mankad, Quinton de Kock*, Ravi Bishnoi, Shamar Joseph*, Shivam Mavi, Yash Thakur, Yudhvir Singh.
Lucknow Super Giants Full Schedule
March 24 – RR vs LSG – Jaipur
March 30 – LSG vs PBKS – Lucknow
April 2 – RCB vs LSG – Bengaluru
April 7 – LSG vs GT – Lucknow
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