Lucknow Super Giants made their IPL debut in 2022. They were one of the two new teams included in the Indian Premier League. LSG started their IPL journey pretty well by finishing 3rd on the points table. Their progress in the tournament ended after suffering a defeat in the first eliminator. They will go into this season with a similar squad and strategy.
Let’s take a deeper insight into their squad.
LSG Squad 2023
Underlying is the complete squad of Lucknow Super Giants for their 2nd IPL season:
Manan Vohra, KL Rahul(c), Ayush Badoni, Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Marcus Stoinis, K Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Kyle Mayers, Krunal Pandya, Daniel Sams, Romario Shepherd, Prerak Mankad, Swapnil Singh, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Yash Thakur, Naveen-ul-Haq, Yudhvir Charak, Karan Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Amit Mishra
Lucknow Super Giants Likely Starting XI
Lucknow can field the following 11 guys in IPL 2023:
- KL Rahul (c)
- Quinton de Kock (wk)
- Deepak Hooda
- Nicholas Pooran
- Marcus Stoinis
- Ayush Badoni
- Krunal Pandya
- Mark Wood
- Jaydev Unadkat
- Ravi Bishnoi
- Avesh Khan
LSG Squad Strengths
Underlying are the two top strengths of this squad:
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Reliable Top 3
Getting off to a good start in the shortest format of cricket is of the essence. With KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock at the top, LSG are guaranteed to have a fine start more often than not. KL Rahul has averaged more than 50 in the last 5 IPL seasons. He has piled up 3889 runs in the league at an average of 48.01 and a strike rate of 136.22. He was in great touch last season, too, as he got 616 runs while averaging 51.33 and striking at 135.38.
Quinton de Kock was also in fine form in IPL 2022. He scored 508 runs at an average of 36.29 and an SR of 148.97. He played a special knock last year against Kolkata Knight Riders. QDK faced 70 balls to smash 140 runs with the help of 10 fours and as many sixes. In the same game, he and KL Rahul formed the highest opening partnership in IPL history. The partnership was 210 runs, and the duo batted the whole 20 overs.
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Solid Middle Order
Deepak Hooda will feature as Lucknow’s one-down batsman in IPL 2023. He played the same role the previous year as well. Hooda scored 451 runs for LSG with an average of 32.21. His strike rate was 136.37, and he scored 4 half-centuries in 14 innings. After Rahul and de Kock, he was the most important batsman for the Super Giants. Marcus Stoinis is another batter who represented this team last year. He scored only 156 runs in 10 innings, but these runs came at an SR of 147.17. He is also in great form recently, and he will add substance to Lucknows’ middle order.
Nicholas Pooran is the newest addition to the Super Giants’ squad. He was bought for a whopping 16 crores in the mini-auction. He will be the aggressor in this batting order. The youngster Ayush Badoni and experienced Krunal Pandya will be the finishers. Both haven’t got awesome stats to back them yet, but they are capable of producing big hits. Therefore, LSG’s batting lineup looks in good shape.
LSG Squad Weaknesses
The only weak link on Lucknow’s side is:
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Par Bowling Attack
LSG squad’s bowling lineup was their main concern in the last edition as well. They even found it hard to defend 210 runs against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Their bowling was so weak that they had to rely on Marcus Stoinis in death overs. Things haven’t changed alot, even in this season. The addition of Mark Wood will certainly help them, but it may not be enough.
Their local pacers will be Jaydev Unadkat and Avesh Khan. Both the speedsters don’t have any great T20 stats to back them. Also, they struggle in the slog overs, so Marcus Stoinis might be doing that job once more. Ravi Bishnoi will be their main spinner, and he has been impressive in his career so far. But he is still young and can be predictable at times. Krunal Pandya and Deepak Hooda will be the other two spinners, but both of them don’t have a great bowling record in IPL.
All in all, the Super Giants don’t have a bowling line on whom they can rely upon. They will find it hard to defend totals, and their bowlers can crumble under pressure. So, if LSG are to win the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League, their bowlers will need to perform out of their skin.
Players To Watch Out
Let’s see who are the top LSG players to keep an eye on in 2023:
The most successful IPL batsman will carry the responsibilities of hopes of Lucknow’s cricket fans. He is the most valuable LSG player with a starting value of ₹170.
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Quinton de Kock
KL’s opening partner is second on the list with ₹142. His ability to dominate the opposition in the powerplay sets him apart from others. Whenever QDK scores runs, he scores them at a brisk pace.
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Avesh Khan
The young fast-bowler will carry plenty of responsibilities while playing for the Super Giants. If you are his fan, go buy his stocks for just ₹104.
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Ravi Bishnoi
Bishnoi’s PCs are worth ₹99 at the moment. However, he has the potential to take his price well beyond this mark.
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Krunal Pandya
Krunal is one of those utility players who can participate in all 3 departments of the game. His base price for the season is ₹123.
Lucknow Super Giants IPL 2023 Prediction
Lucknow Super Giants started their IPL journey pretty well in 2022 by getting to the playoffs. But this time around, they may not make it that far. We expect LSG to finish 9th on the points table.
Final Prediction: League stage elimination.
