Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had the lowest purse among teams while heading into the IPL auction 2024.
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.
13 sixes! Arshin Kulkarni was looking to the skies with this century.
.#MPLonFanCode pic.twitter.com/u8BagV5tfW— FanCode (@FanCode) June 20, 2023
They also have David Willey and Arshad Khan, the backup all-rounders. Willey will come in for Marcus Stoinis, while Arshad will be a backup for Mohsin Khan. Willey and Arshad provide ample new-ball value and add much-needed batting depth in the lower order.
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.
Siddharth 😤 spells danger ⚠️ to the batsmen! Fiery 🔥
️Enna Makkalae… #GethuKaatuvoma? 💪🏻🙌🏻@TNPremierLeague🏏 #SMPvLKK #TNPL2023 #TNPL 🏏 #LKK #LycaKovaiKings 👑💙 pic.twitter.com/6dHL08UmcD
— Lyca Kovai Kings (@LycaKovaiKings) July 6, 2023
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.
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.
Quinton ka kamaal 🔥 machayega Kolkata main bawaal 🤩#KKRvLSG #IPLonJioCinema #TATAIPL #IPL2023 #EveryGameMatters | @LucknowIPL pic.twitter.com/1iDiJ0tKvN
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) May 20, 2023
KL Rahul will be seen in a new role as a middle-order batter. His job would be to play according to the situation and take the team forward without compromising the scoring rate, like in ODIs. Rahul’s supreme expertise against pace and spin makes him an ideal candidate for the middle order, and he can provide stability to the batting unit.
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.
Nicholas Pooran is one the cleanest hitters going around!
Exhibit 👇🏻#CPL2023 #CPLonFanCode pic.twitter.com/MjGDevnnQl— FanCode (@FanCode) September 7, 2023
Overseas Players: Lucknow Super Giants will likely play three overseas – Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis – in the XI, and Mark Wood will come in as an impact player. The roles of Quinton and Pooran are already discussed. Marcus Stoinis will be the pace all-rounder.
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.
Stoinis stepping up when #EveryGameMatters!💪
Can @MStoinis carry on to lead his team to a formidable total?#TATAIPL #IPLonJioCinema #IPL2023 | @LucknowIPL pic.twitter.com/d1q6aBWHSJ
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) May 16, 2023
Mark Wood will be the enforcer for LSG, who will bowl into the pitch at a high pace. The two-bouncers rule will make him more threatening, and LSG will have a solid wicket-taker in the middle overs. If Wood remains fit, he will solve several problems of LSG.
Nothing but WOOD! ☝️
Keep watching #IPLonJioCinema 👈| LIVE & FREE across all telecom operators✨ #LSGvDC #TATAIPL #IPL2023 | @MAWood33 pic.twitter.com/nAAsq6iC56
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) April 1, 2023
Naveen-ul-Haq will act as a backup for Mark Wood. He can do a similar job and also provides ample new-ball value. He also has several cutters to operate well in the death overs.
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.
Mayers’ Smash!💥 #CSKvLSG #TATAIPL #IPLonJioCinema | @LucknowIPL pic.twitter.com/V5BtWyF6wl
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) April 3, 2023
Impact Players: As mentioned above, Mark Wood will be the impact player for Lucknow Super Giants. LSG can also slot all four overseas players in the XI and use an additional spinner like Amit Mishra, Manimaran Siddharth or Krishnappa Gowtham as their impact player if the conditions are spin-friendly. LSG adopted this tactic in most of their home games last season.
A sneak peek into Lucknow Super Giants : How’s their squad shaping?#iplauction2024 pic.twitter.com/I49q0a2eTs
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) December 19, 2023
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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