LSG indeed have a few match-winners, but the overall unit doesn’t look convincing or as good as other sides.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had a weird strategy in the IPL 2025 auction, for they didn’t go for too many quality players and rather settled for middling returns. Their main focus was getting Rishabh Pant, but they didn’t fill other slots with the same planning.
For some reason, they went for not-so-good options and have plenty of average players to work with. A few are highly injury-prone and can get injured midway to weaken the squad.
LSG indeed have a few match-winners, but the overall unit doesn’t look convincing or as good as other sides. If any first-choice players get injured, LSG will find it arduous to make a competitive XI.
Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Ayush Badoni, Mohsin Khan, Rishabh Pant, David Miller, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Avesh Khan, Abdul Samad, Aryan Juyal, Akash Deep, Himmat Singh, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Singh, Shamar Joseph, Prince Yadav, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Arshin Kulkarni, Matthew Breetzke
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Clearly, LSG have loopholes in their squad that can be easily exploited and will find it hard to fill in IPL 2025. They might be the most flawed unit among all ten sides.
If we look at the options for Lucknow Super Giants, they only have Aiden Markram as an experienced opener. Even his T20 game is not ideal, and LSG don’t have many other quality options.
They have Mitchell Marsh who can also open the innings, but his best might come at No.3, where he has found ample success in T20 cricket. Another option is Matthew Breetzke, but he is raw and hasn’t played enough cricket at this level.
LSG already have settled spots in the overseas department, and making a place for Breetzke is arduous in this setup. So, they are without a proven opener when LSG had a chance to get a few sold at a lower rate or unsold.
While LSG have several middle-order batters who have done well in the league before, they should have invested more in the openers. This IPL 2025 saw numerous decent openers going unsold, so LSG could have got at least one later in the auction but kept investing in mediocre options that don’t fit in the team.
Lucknow Super Giants have one of the finest spin-hitters in Nicholas Pooran, but they would have liked another spin player in the middle order. They have the likes of Rishabh Pant, Ayush Badoni, and David Miller in the middle, but none are too great at handling the spinners.
Since 2023, Badoni averages 25.33 and strikes at 124.59, Pant has an average of 30.60 and a strike rate of 119.53, while Miller has decent numbers but can’t accelerate adequately. Pooran must do the heavy lifting against spin, which won’t be ideal.
Almost every team has a quality spin attack and can load them against LSG’s middle overs to control run flow. Since most of them are highly skilled against pacers, the opponent can easily bring more spinners in the XI.
Mayank Yadav has been ruled out of the first half of IPL 2025, and his availability for the second half is not guaranteed. So, LSG will need options for the middle overs who can crank it up and bowl hard lengths.
His injury has left a major void in the bowling attack because the value he offers is unmatchable. Mayank is an express pacer who can threaten the opponent batters with his high pace and showed his true value in a few matches last season.
LSG already have an injury-prone squad, and Mayank’s availability might be a start. Players like Mitchell Marsh and Mohsin Khan are other injury-prone players who can crumble.
However, the biggest setback is Mayank’s unavailability. LSG already has a poor squad with a bizarre batting unit, and if first-choice bowlers are absent, the team becomes more feeble.
Barring Ravi Bishnoi, the franchise has Shahbaz Ahmed in the spin department who can contribute with the bat. While Shahbaz is an all-rounder, he hasn’t done anything significant in any department in IPL.
His bowling is susceptible on flat surfaces, for he can concede plenty with the ball. Even with the willow, Shahbaz hasn’t played big shots consistently in the lower order.
Shahbaz Ahmed hasn’t shown enough promise – he is neither a four-over bowler nor a top or middle-order batter at the IPL level. So, his contribution to the team is limited, and his numbers are mediocre in both the batting and bowling departments.
The tracks in IPL have gone flat, further reducing his value with the ball. Given that LSG already have too many LHBs in the top and middle order, they are unlikely to promote Shahbaz in the batting order to extract his batting value.
Promoting Rishabh Pant at the top is a simple way to maximise this shaky batting unit, where he can bat freely and exploit the powerplay overs. He should partner with Aiden Markram at the top, followed by Mitchell Marsh at No.3.
This allows everyone to bat at their original position and utilise the powerplay overs without compromising the scoring rate. Rishabh won’t work in the middle overs in this setup, so keeping him at the top is best.
LSG should keep David Miller at No.5 to solve spin issues since he is still their best bet against spinners after Nicholas Pooran. Miller can preserve his wicket better than Badoni and can hit them occasional boundaries, and his game against off-spinners is slightly better than Pooran.
So, he is a better option than Badoni and has a fine record at No.5. This is where he is best fit in the league and allows Badoni to take on pacers, his stronger suit.
It’s impossible to replace Mayank Yadav, but the best LSG can do is use Avesh Khan as an enforcer rather than with the new ball. Mohsin Khan is a genuine new-ball bowler who can move the ball and bring the left-arm angle.
Akash Deep should partner him with the new ball because his best usage is early in the innings when some movement is available. He is not a good T20 bowler, but Mayank’s injury has forced LSG to bring him into the equation because he is still a better option than many other inexperienced players in the squad.
Lastly, the Lucknow-based franchise should prefer Manimaran Siddharth over Shahbaz Ahmed for the second spinner role. While Siddharth doesn’t provide equal batting value, he is a much better bowling option who can bowl in various phases, unlike Shahbaz.
Manimaran can also bowl in the powerplay, and since LSG have issues with new-ball bowling, he can be used for a few overs. He is not a traditional spinner and bowls at a high pace, which allows him to operate effectively even with the new ball and remain economical.
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