‘I want him to open:’ Aakash Chopra hails LSG’s latest recruitment

Lucknow Super Giants are just two seasons old in the IPL family but they have been impressive in both the seasons. They finished third in the points table after the league stage. They will be aiming to go atleast one step ahead this season and have a shot at the title.

One of the biggest additions for LSG this year is India’s latest Test debutant Devdutt Padikkal. The tall left-hander played for Rajasthan Royals in the previous edition but was traded to Lucknow Super Giants ahead of IPL 2024 auction.

Aakash Chopra hails Devdutt Padikkal’s addition to LSG

Former India opener Aakash Chopra lauded Devdutt Padikkal’s signing by Lucknow Super Giants. He believes that Padikkal is an excellent addition to the squad but it remains to be seen where he gets to bat.

"I think Devdutt Padikkal is a fantastic addition. A question will definitely be there about where they should get him to bat. I want him to open. Along with him, Kyle Mayers/Quinton de Kock. My heart says Quinton de Kock because if I play him 14 matches, he will play at least five game-changing knocks," Chopra opined.

Devdutt Padikkal recently made his Test debut against England at Dharamsala and scored his maiden half-century as well. He has also played for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals before.LSG is known for his all-rounders and it is the same case for them this season as well. Aakash Chopra explained LSG’s squad strength, which had a no. of quality overseas players.

"This team has lots of all-rounders. Their overseas bunch is extremely strong. They have Ashton Turner, Marcus Stoinis, Kyle Mayers, David Willey, Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Shamar Joseph and Naveen-ul-Haq. So they do have a fairly decent overseas squad and many of them are all-rounders," Chopra explained.

"You can see Marcus Stoinis and Kyle Mayers, and Quinton de Kock is a wicketkeeper. Then you have got Nicholas Pooran, who is a wicketkeeper. Ashton Turner is an all-rounder. There are plenty of options to play around," the former India player added.

He further explained LSG’s squad composition and the quality Indian players that they have in the squad.

"Then they have Deepak Hooda. His recent first-class form was very good. Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, and another all-rounder in the form of Krunal Pandya. Deepak Hooda is also an all-rounder. It's a team filled with all-rounders. "They have options in spin bowling. They have Amit Mishra, Ravi Bishnoi and Krunal Pandya. So they will have eight overs of decent spin and then they always used Mishra as an Impact Player," he added.

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Lucknow Super Giants are likely to pick Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, and Naveen-ul-Haq as their overseas players. The fourth option will be a toss-up between Kyle Mayers and Marcus Stoinis. They will be led by KL Rahul and will start their campaign on March 24 against Rajasthan Royals.

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