Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had the lowest purse among teams while heading into the IPL auction 2024. They already had a settled team and needed to find a quality domestic pacer and increase their batting depth with an all-rounder, preferably Indian. LSG did well to plug these holes and increase their bench strength with top-notch backups with the remaining budget.

They bought Arshin Kulkarni, a pace all-rounder, for a base price of INR 20 Lakhs. Arshin is a top-order batter who can hit the ball long and has varied shots in his armour. His bowling is ever-improving, and Arshin has bowled well every time.

LSG also have Ashton Turner, the spin all-rounder in the overseas category. He can also come in for Marcus Stoinis if he is injured and the track suits the slow bowlers. Turner can also be a floater as a batter and strike big without wasting many balls.

Shivam Mavi is another quality buy who can start over Yash Thakur if LSG want another genuine new-ball bowler to partner Mohsin Khan. The sole reason to buy Mavi was to buy a replacement for Avesh Khan, traded to Rajasthan Royals (RR). Thakur impressed last season, but LSG might be tempted to start with Mavi.

Manimaran Siddharth was the sixth and last buy of LSG, a backup for Krunal Pandya. Siddharth is a TNPL product with immaculate accuracy and a genuine wicket-taker. Overall, the Lucknow Super Giants did a terrific job with their limited budget to find the right set of players and backups for the regular starters.

LSG squad for IPL 2024: KL Rahul (c & wk), Quinton de Kock (wk), Nicholas Pooran (wk), Ayush Badoni, Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Krunal Pandya, Yudhvir Singh, Prerak Mankad, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, K. Gowtham, Shivam Mavi, Arshin Kulkarni, M. Siddharth, Ashton Turner, David Willey, Mohd. Arshad Khan.

Predicted LSG Playing XI for IPL 2024

• Quinton de Kock (wk)*

• Arshin Kulkarni

• Devdutt Padikkal

• Ayush Badoni

• KL Rahul (c)

• Nicholas Pooran*

• Krunal Pandya

• Marcus Stoinis*

• Mohsin Khan

• Ravi Bishnoi

• Yash Thakur

• Mark Wood*

Wicketkeeper: Lucknow Super Giants have three wicketkeepers - Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran - and all of them will play in the XI. Quinton will keep the wickets while the other two will play as specialist batters and take the gloves only in case of injury to Quinton. The South African all-rounder will open the innings and be expected to take on the pacers and utilise the field restrictions.

Also Read: Punjab Kings (PBKS) Playing XI for IPL 2024: Captain, wicket-keeper, overseas players, Impact Players and More

Nicholas Pooran’s role will be to take on the spinners, especially the leg-spinners and left-arm orthodox. He did this job perfectly last season and will again be floated as per the team’s requirements. Pooran and KL Rahul will shield Marcus Stoinis from spin and lay a foundation for him to finish.

Stoinis is among the most ferocious strikers of the pace bowling and will do the finishing duties for LSG. He will also give at least two overs in the middle overs while one at the death if required. His cutters into the pitch will be mighty effective in the home games, even though the pitches have been relaid, and in the away games where the tracks are slow. Stoinis can also bowl pacy balls in different areas to agitate the batters.

Kyle Mayers is another backup player who can be used anywhere in the top five for pace-hitting. Mayers’ preferred position is opening, but he won’t get to start initially unless one of Quinton de Kock or Marcus Stoinis is unavailable. He also provides an additional bowling option and has a wicket-taking knack. The other options - David Willey and Ashton Turner - have been discussed above.

Hits:

• Lucknow Super Giants have depth and experience in the batting unit.

• LSG have spin-hitter, pace-hitter and a nice blend of LHBs-RHBs throughout the batting order.

• LSG have ample variety in spin and pace departments.

• LSG have among the best overseas players in their full-strength XI.

• LSG have backups for most starting players, including the overseas ones.

Misses:

• Lucknow Super Giants’ captain KL Rahul’s intent has been an issue in the previous seasons, and it’s uncertain how he will perform in a new middle-order role.

• LSG’s premium pace bowlers, Mark Wood and Mohsin Khan, are highly injury-prone, and other pacers in the squad are not as experienced at this level.

• Lucknow Super Giants have relatively weak death-over bowling.

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