There will be a few names who might not suit the team's strategy and spend the season on the bench.
One of the two newest teams, introduced during the Indian Premier League (IPL 2022) season, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are yet to win the coveted title. They put up a strong performance in their first two seasons, making it to the playoffs. However, in the previous edition (IPL 2024), the Sanjiv Goenka-owned franchise had a subpar run, finishing out of the top 4 at seventh.
Thus, in a bid to turnaround their fortunes, the franchise splurged in last month’s IPL 2025 auction to acquire some big names. LSG made Rishabh Pant the most expensive player in IPL history after securing him for a whopping INR 27 crores. They also spent big on players like David Miller and Avesh Khan for INR 7.5 crores and INR 9.75 crores respectively.
However, the LSG management also had some hits and misses as a few of their calls were baffling because they couldn’t find enough quality and proven players. Given the mixed situation, there will be some players around whom the entire playing XI will be built on. Keeping that in mind, it is understandable that there will also be a few names who might not suit the team’s strategy and spend the season on the bench.
In this article, let’s take a look at 3 such players:
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Aryan Juyal, 23-year-old young wicket-keeper batter from Uttar Pradesh, joined LSG for INR 30 lakhs. However, his IPL journey so far has largely been about biding his time on the sidelines. Previously he was bought by the Mumbai Indians ipl IPL 2022 but is yet to play a game.
LSG has placed substantial faith in Rishabh Pant and Nicholas Pooran, both of whom have proven themselves as reliable options with the bat and behind the stumps. Their dual strengths in wicketkeeping and batting will somewhat limit Juyal’s opportunities to shine.
Juya’s role is thus expected to be mostly of a backup or be seen as a viable option if one of them is rested.
Digvesh Singh, another young prospect, is an all-rounder from Madhya Pradesh and is recognized for his off-spin and contributions as a lower-order batter. However, his chances of making it into the playing XI for LSG in IPL 2025 appear slim.
The team’s spin lineup is already well-equipped with Ravi Bishnoi and Shahbaz Ahmed, who offer greater versatility through their bowling variations and additional batting depth.
Singh’s skillset also overlaps with other players in the squad, which further limits his opportunities unless LSG decides to rotate the squad or rest some of their key players.
Talented batter Abdul Samad is renowned for his powerful hitting and has been identified as a potential future player for India. However, Lucknow’s middle order already boasts a strong lineup featuring Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant, Aiden Markram, David Miller, and Shahbaz Ahmed.
This depth could make it challenging for Samad to secure a spot in the playing XI. Additionally, the right-handed batter has struggled for form with the bat last season.
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