Lucknow Super Giants. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)
Making their second appearance in the 16th edition of the eagerly-anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL), Lucknow Super Giants have bettered their squad as compared with the 2022 season. The KL Rahul-led side managed to rope in players from the mini-auction, who could potentially create impact and guide them to glory in the forthcoming campaign.
Speaking about their performance in their debut season, LSG relished a decent campaign as they concluded the league phase standing third on the points table. However, the side made a screeching halt after a loss against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator of the play-offs.
With Nicholas Pooran, Amit Mishra, and Jaydev Unadkat among others set to don the Lucknow jersey for the new season, the franchise will go all in and aim for an improved campaign. The squad looks balanced on paper; however, it remains to be seen how the management builds a core team to fight for the coveted trophy.
The SWOT analysis of the Lucknow Super Giants squad for IPL 2023:
Strengths- An improved batting line-up
The Lucknow think tank did not take much time to acquire the services of Caribbean explosive hitter, Nicolas Pooran in the auction. With his inclusion, undoubtedly the side has a well-rounded batting unit which can do wonders in the league.
However, the underlying question is can they can click in the big games? Skipper KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, and Deepak Hooda are other names in the power-packed batting line-up.
The team will need the top order to lay the solid foundation whereas the batters down the order, have the potential of hammering later on in the contest. However, as much as this is a strength, there could be a certain threat involved which we will cover later in this piece. In totality, the management has done its job in the auction, now it is time for the players to deliver the goods.
Weaknesses- Need for an X-factor in the bowling unit
There was much work to do in the auction considering that they let go off players like Jason Holder, Andrew Tye, and Dushmantha Chameera, prior to the event in December. However, the management seemingly made a strong comeback as LSG roped in Jaydev Unadkat, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra, Daniel Sams, and Naveen-Ul-Haq to bolster the bowling attack.
Furthermore, the franchise has Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, and Ravi Bishnoi as their other options in the unit. However, last season on many occasions the bowling was a total letdown as they leaked a massive number of runs.
Despite having some experience playing in the league, the bowling unit looked undercooked. Now, having acquired a seasoned pacer like Jaydev Unadkat, it appears as though the team looks well-balanced.
Moreover, Unadkat’s form spoke volumes in the recently concluded Ranji Trophy. That said, it remains to be seen if the lads can step up and push their limits in the crunch moments, not to forget that the league gets the better of the top cricketers.
Opportunities- Young talent raring to impress at the biggest stage
Head coach Andy Flower and mentor Gautam Gambhir insisted on having talented young cricketers in the squad and building on that in the league. Ayush Badoni, Yash Dayal, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Yudhvir Charak, Swapnil Singh, and Prerak Mankad are some of the names in the side filled with massive talent.
Also, young Afghan speed gun, Naveen-ul-Haq will don the blue outfit of Lucknow this season. The fresh faces in the squad will surely be gunning to give their best in the league and get their side ahead in the contest.
Moreover, working with experienced members of the side, the young players could possibly add something new in the biggest stage. A fantastic opportunity for talented youngsters, but it has to be seen whether it will bear fruit.
Threats- Over-reliant on top-order, again?
In 2022, the franchise relied primarily on their top order to score big runs on numerous occasions, whereas the middle order lacked the spark needed to drive the side into scoring big and gaining an edge. This season, the management made a stellar addition in the form of Pooran in the auction to counter the middle-order issue.
However, it has been seen many times in the league phase in 2022 that despite having top players, LSG failed to operate in tandem. Marcus Stoinis, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, and Deepak Hooda look solid on paper and add a lot of strength to the side along with Pooran.
Meanwhile, Quinton de Kock has been in terrific form lately whereas skipper Rahul too will look to come out all guns blazing. However, the threat that the rest of the unit may not fire just like in the debut season, cannot be ruled out. Pooran is certainly a terrific pick but his inconsistency in the league in the previous seasons is something he will look to avoid this year with Lucknow.
Here’s the entire Lucknow Super Giants squad:
KL Rahul, Ayush Badoni, Karan Sharma, Manan Vohra, Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Krishnappa Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Kyle Mayers, Krunal Pandya, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Nicholas Pooran, Jaydev Unadkat, Yash Thakur, Romario Shepherd, Daniel Sams, Amit Mishra, Prerak Mankad, Swapnil Singh, Naveen ul Haq, Yudhvir Charak.