IPL 2023: 3 players who can replace KL Rahul in LSG’s squad

KL Rahul has been a bankable name in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He has annihilated bowlers with his marauding bat and established his supremacy in the marquee tournament. The ace batter has featured in 118 IPL matches and notched up 4163 runs at a strike rate of 134.42.  Besides his batting might, he has shown his captaincy credentials in the IPL arena and shepherded Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to the playoffs in the 15th IPL edition.

With Rahul at the helm, LSG had a great start to the IPL 2023 campaign, winning five of their first eight games. However, the 31-year-old suffered a thigh injury while fielding in the 43rd game of the season against Royal Challengers Bangalore. And later during LSG’s chase, he came out to bat at number 11 and was facing difficulty while running between the wickets. Further, he did not take part in Lucknow’s following game against Chennai Super Kings.

Rahul is all set to undergo a thigh surgery on the advice of his medical team. Thus, he has been ruled out of the remaining games of the cash-rich league and the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia in June. With the flamboyant batter unavailable, the Lucknow management might look at certain players who could fill his void in the squad.

Here are three players who can replace KL Rahul in LSG’s squad

3. Baba Indrajith

Baba Indrajith (Photo Source: Instagram/Baba Indrajith)

Baba Indrajith has been a proven performer in the domestic circuit. He has put up an exhibition of his glorious stroke play and piled on runs for fun. Besides his batting might, the 28-year-old has a safe pair of hands behind the stumps and has shown his keeping credentials on many occasions.

Indrajith has featured in 66 first-class games and aggregated 4511 runs at a superb average of 51.85. Talking about the List-A format, the Chennai-born has made appearances on 52 occasions and racked up 1287 runs at an average of 44.37.

Indrajith can shepherd the innings and allow stroke makers to play with freedom. Also, he offers the versatility to bat both at the top order and middle order. Therefore, the Lucknow franchise could look to include him in their arsenal for the remaining season.

2. Gurkeerat Singh

Gurkeerat Singh (Photo Source: Instagram/Gurkeerat Singh)

Gurkeerat Singh has been a prominent figure in the Indian domestic circuit. He is known to take the attack to the opposition right from the get-go and turn the game in the favour of his side.  The Punjab-born has featured in 95 List-A matches and amassed 3369 runs at a strike rate of 89.33. 

Coming to the shortest format, Gurkeerat has played 118 matches and amassed 1985 runs at a strike rate of 124.06. He has shown glimpses of brilliance in the lucrative T20 tournament and scored 511 runs in 41 matches at a strike rate of 121.09, which includes two half-centuries.

Given Gurkeerat has thrived in the domestic arena and has considerable experience of playing in the T20 carnival, the Lucknow management could ponder over signing him as an injury replacement for LSG’s designated skipper KL Rahul.

1. Karun Nair

Karun Nair of the Delhi Daredevils. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)

Karun Nair has been a run-bank in the Indian domestic circuit. He has featured in 85 first-class matches and notched up 5922 runs at an average of 48.94. When it comes to the T20 format, the 31-year-old has piled on 2989 runs in 150 games at a strike rate of 131.15.

Karun has also shown his class in the Indian Premier League and took top-quality attacks to the cleaners with his flamboyant stroke play. He has played 76 games in the T20 extravaganza and scored 1496 runs at a strike rate of 127.75, which consists of ten half-centuries.

Given Karun has fared well in the cash-rich league in the past, the team management could be inclined towards drafting him into the side for the ongoing IPL season. Therefore, Nair donning the Lucknow jersey in the 16th IPL edition appears to be on the cards.