Lucknow Super Giants Team Preview IPL 2023: KL Rahul’s Lucknow Super Giants reached the playoffs in their first-ever season among the big boys last year and in the upcoming IPL 2023 season, LSG will be hoping to go one step further and lift their maiden IPL title. They went about their business very well last term, accumulating a good mix of youth and experience. Coming into the IPL 2023 auction, the Lucknow-based franchise made a blockbuster Rs 16 crore move for Nicholas Pooran to add more bite to their top order. They have also added the likes of Romario Shepherd, Daniel Sams, Jaydev Unadkat as well as Amit Mishra among others.
The opening pair of Rahul and Quinton de Kock lit up the IPL last season as well and LSG will hope for more of the same this year as well. Deepak Hooda, Pooran and Marcus Stoinis make it a very solid top order, however, what they do lack is a top-order Indian batter that’s why they’re only left with one overseas slot which will be taken up by Mark Wood. Mohsin Khan gave a very good account of himself but he hasn’t played a lot of cricket since, meaning the onus will be on Avesh Khan and Unadkat, while they also have a few surprise packages up their sleeve with the likes of Amit Mishra who could be used as an impact player.
How They Fared Last Time
In their maiden IPL campaign, Lucknow Super Giants managed to reach the playoffs where they were ousted by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator. Rahul and Co finished third in the league standings, with 18 points from 14 games. Unfortunately, LSG had to play the Eliminator only because their net run rate was inferior to Rajasthan Royals or it could have been a very different story.
Top Players to Watch Out For
KL Rahul: The Super Giants’ skipper finished as the second-highest run-scorer in IPL 2022 with 616 runs under his belt, only behind orange cap winner Jos Buttler. For the past three seasons, Rahul has scored more than 600 runs in the world’s most lucrative league. While he had been under pressure, recent matches against Australia showed promising returns and the Lucknow-based franchise will pin their hopes on their main man once again to set the tone.
Nicholas Pooran: For a player who has had his highs and lows LSG raised eyebrows when they went all guns blazing behind Pooran and got the Caribbean batter for a staggering Rs 16 crore. The price tag could weigh heavy on Pooran once again but he does have the ability to be a game-changer. Another wicketkeeping option, a good left-handed striker of the ball, he’d certainly add more steel to Lucknow’s middle order.
Quinton de Kock: A proven performer on the big stage, De Kock was his side’s second-leading run-getter behind Rahul with 508 runs in 15 games. He also helped give his side ferocious starts along with the skipper and the franchise will be hoping for more of the same. The 30-year-old is a reliance wicketkeeper and he had a good SA20 tournament as well, where De Kock represented Durban Super Giants in 10 contests, racking up 271 runs with three fifties in nine innings.
Strongest Playing XI
KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Marcus Stoinis, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Mark Wood, Jaydev Unadkat, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi.
Full Squad
KL Rahul, Ayush Badoni, Karan Sharma, Manan Vohra, Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Krishnappa Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Kyle Mayers, Krunal Pandya, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Nicholas Pooran, Jaydev Unadkat, Yash Thakur, Romario Shepherd, Daniel Sams, Amit Mishra, Prerak Mankad, Swapnil Singh, Naveen ul Haq, Yudhvir Charak
Lucknow Super Giants Full Schedule
- Match 1: 1 April – Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals, Lucknow
- Match 2: 3 April – Chennai Super Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants, Chennai
- Match 3: 7 April – Lucknow Super Giants vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Lucknow
- Match 4: 10 April – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Lucknow Super Giants, Bengaluru
- Match 5: 15 April – Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings, Lucknow
- Match 6: 19 April – Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants, Jaipur
- Match 7: 22 April – Lucknow Super Giants vs Gujarat Titans, Lucknow
- Match 8: 28 April – Punjab Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants, Mohali
- Match 9: 1 May – Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Lucknow
- Match 10: 4 May – Lucknow Super Giants vs Chennai Super Kings, Lucknow
- Match 11: 7 May – Gujarat Titans vs Lucknow Super Giants, Ahmedabad
- Match 12: 13 May – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Lucknow Super Giants, Hyderabad
- Match 13: 16 May – Lucknow Super Giants vs Mumbai Indians, Lucknow
- Match 14: 20 May – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants, Kolkata
Get the latest Cricket News here
Comments
0 comment