OPINION
Follow UsSquad Depth
Possible Starting XI
What works for LSG?
• Try finding a more aesthetically pleasing opening duo than KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock. And it is not just about how they look. In his elements, Rahul is perhaps the most complete T20 batter. He can be an orange cap contender while having the game to fit the fastest fifty in the league. Quinton de Kock is just as brutal and being a lefty only adds to his value as an opener.
• Pace bowling all-rounders are crucial, hence quite a few sides focussed on them at the auction. But the Lucknow duo of Marcus Stoinis and Jason Holder stands apart because, unlike most others, they are proven IPL products. Stoinis took time to adjust to his role in the lower middle-order but ended up doing well for Delhi in the last season. He averages around 35 with a strike rate of 150+ while batting at five and six since 2020. Being a bowling all-rounder, Holder perfectly complements Stoinis in the team.
• Lucknow has seven proper bowling options even when we discount the number eight. Their batting depth gives them the flexibility to play around with that spot. They can go with a batting heavy option and opt to fill that spot with Krishnappa Gowtham. Or can go bowling heavy and bleed-in one of their young Indian pacers.
• Avesh Khan was Delhi’s player of the tournament last season. He was a kitten’s whisker away to be the best young player as well. Avesh ended second on the wicket’s tally and maintained an economy of 7.4. If we have to draw a parallel for this season, in three games at the Wankhede, he took six wickets at an economy of 7.3.
• Right now, Ravi Bishnoi is as good as a mystery spinner. While it is no hidden fact that he bowls more googlies than leg breaks, no batter seems to have identified a way to tackle him so far. Lucknow will hope things remain the same for the time being.
• If a bowler has an economy of 7 in Powerplay at the T20I level, he must be doing something right. Dushmantha Chameera is yet to make his IPL debut, but he has the attributes: pace, the ability to hit the deck, and move the ball just enough to trouble the batters early on. He will be in the starting XI for most games for Lucknow.
Where LSG might struggle
• Teams might target the Rahul-de Kock pair with spin. As a skipper, Rahul has been a conservative batter. His reluctance to break free enhances against spin. Quinton de Kock too prefers facing the quicker bowler. Both have a strike rate of around 105 against spin in the last two seasons.
• Linking the charismatic openers to the all-rounders, Manish Pandey and Deepak Hooda form a crucial bridge. In an erratic season last year, Pandey scored at a strike rate of only 120.6 against pace which reduced to a mere 50 against balls that were 140+. Hooda was brisk but his average of 16 last season will not be good enough for Lucknow this time. He doubles up as an off-spinner but batting will be his primary suit.
• Holder is a match-winner but he is not really the kind of finisher needed at the crucial number sixth spot. Though he has gone down fighting in a few games over the last two seasons but an average of 18.9 with a strike rate of 120.8 does not make for happy reading.
• Akash Ambani was over the moon when Mumbai were able to get Krunal Pandya back with the right to match option in 2018. In 2022, he was among the rare few from Mumbai’s older squad to not get a bid from them. Reason: Krunal’s stocks have dropped in both departments. At number seven, he might seem a spot too high. Neither has he been a guaranteed four-overs bowler off-late.
• Availability: Stoinis is going to miss the first four games, Holder and Kyle Mayers will miss the first two while de Kock will miss the first. Though Evin Lewis can fill the de Kock gap, Stoinis’ absence has the potential to suck all intent out of Rahul due to a paper-thin batting line-up. All of Lucknow’s first-choice all-rounders are overseas players. Dependence on foreign recruits for key roles has not gone well for teams over the years.
The article has been updated. The earlier version had Sai Sudharshan as a part of LSG in the squad image. He is a member of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022.
