Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) broke the bank to acquire Rishabh Pant for a record price but messed up their squad. Here we discuss how they can solve the top 7 conundrum for IPL 2025.
Since joining the Indian Premier League in 2022, Lucknow Super Giants have constantly been in the news. They had some success, reaching the playoffs in their first two seasons under the leadership of KL Rahul. In the IPL 2024, they missed out on the top four spot due to poor net run-rate.
But the noise around them is mostly for the wrong reasons. These include interference from the owners, instability in the side, team management often looking out of sorts and overall environment at the franchise.
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After three years of partnership, LSG decided to part ways with Rahul ahead of the 2025 auction. It didn’t end on good terms with the owners taking shots at him for not being selfless and the player hitting back for a poor team environment.
The Super Giants retained Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, along with two uncapped players Ayush Badoni and Mohsin Khan.
LSG had a shocker of an auction as they spent INR 27 crore to get Rishabh Pant but could not get any high quality T20 performers. Apart from Pant, they added David Miller, Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Avesh Khan, Matthew Breetzke and others to their roster.
In a squad filled with holes everywhere, nailing the batting line-up could be quite a challenge and will decide how their IPL 2025 season pans out.
If you’re spending 22.5% of your total budget on one player, why not maximise it. The star left-hand batter has played in the middle order for the entirety of his IPL career but there is a strong case for him to move up to open the innings.
Pant is naturally a top order player, having played as an opener in his early cricketing career. He has pretty good numbers in that role, scoring 644 runs from 21 innings at an average of 32 while striking at 162, including a century and five half centuries.
Pant hasn’t been as effective in the middle order in recent years in the IPL as well as in international T20s. Moving up the order could free him up to play according to his pace.
Another factor why LSG should make the move is the presence of Pooran and Miller in the middle order. Having three left-hand batters in the middle order just won’t be ideal.
The South African batter had a very good IPL 2022 where he scored 381 runs at 47.62 and strike rate of 139. But since then he has averaged less than 25 and struck at 125. But all of this was in the middle order. Opening the innings could benefit both Markram and the team.
There is a chance he might not get into the LSG starting XI in favour of overseas fast bowler Shamar Joseph. But Joseph doesn’t have a proven record and the Super Giants would be better off banking on their Indian pacers and pack the batting with four overseas batters.
Much like Markram, the Australian all-rounder doesn’t have a great record in the IPL. And at a home base like Ekana Cricket Stadium, it could go horribly wrong. But if the pitches have good bounce, Marsh would be a solid number three.
If the Marsh move doesn’t work, LSG could bring in Matthew Breetzke. While he doesn’t have the experience in Indian conditions, he has a higher ceiling. As for an Indian option, Arshin Kulkarni is right there. The 19-year-old is in great touch in domestic cricket but lack of experience could be an issue.
Lucknow Super Giants’ first retention Nicholas Pooran has arguably been the best middle order batter in the IPL in the last three years. He has a strike rate of 166 at an average of 41 in this period, including seven half centuries.
Pooran had a phenomenal season last year, smashing 499 runs at an average of 62 while striking at 178. He remains LSG’s most valuable batting asset in the IPL 2025.
Following three years at Gujarat Titans, David Miller moves to the Lucknow franchise. He did his job to great efficiency, scoring 950 runs across three seasons at 45 average and 145 strike rate. Though at the back end of his career, Miller remains one of the best finishers in the game and LSG would be in a better shape if he fires. Three Ms in Markram, Marsh and Miller could also be key to shield others from hard lengths.
The 25-year old Ayush Badoni has been an excellent recruit for LSG. In the last two years, he has scored 473 runs at an average of 26 and strike rate of 137. While the numbers don’t look hugely impressive, Badoni has been extremely flexible, batting anywhere in the order and often coming in tough situations to rescue the team.
Abdul Samad played five seasons for Sunrisers Hyderabad but could not live up to his potential. He has another chance to crack the IPL, though he would have to play the similar lower middle order role at LSG as well. Samad has a very good range of shots against both spin and pace, and the Super Giants will hope he starts delivering soon.
