3 players LSG were right to release ahead of the IPL 2023 auction
The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) released seven players ahead of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, which will be held on December 23 in Kochi.
LSG have ₹23.35 crore in their purse, with 10 spots left to fill. The Super Giants made the playoffs in their debut season but crashed out in the Eliminator. Having started to orchestrate a mini revamp of their roster, they will be confident of going further in the knockout stages of IPL 2023.
Here are three players LSG were right to release ahead of the IPL 2023 auction.
#3 Andrew Tye
The winner of the IPL 2018 Purple Cap with 24 wickets from 14 matches, Andrew Tye has seen a stark decrease in output over his last three seasons in the league. The pacer's economy rate jumped from 8.00 to 10.59, 12.5 and 9.73, with the latest coming for the Lucknow Super Giants in the 2022 season.
Tye played three matches for LSG after being signed as an injury replacement for Mark Wood, returning two wickets. His slower ball, which once used to be virtually unplayable at the death, has become all too predictable, and his pace has also dropped.
Tye's returns in the IPL reflect where he stands as a T20 bowler right now, and LSG did the right thing by pulling the plug on his contract.
#2 Evin Lewis
Evin Lewis broke onto the IPL scene back in 2018, when he amassed 382 runs at a strike rate of 138.40. He featured in 13 games in that campaign, but since then, he has not even been close to double digits when it comes to matches played in an IPL season.
Lewis' IPL 2022 season with LSG was underwhelming. He played one notable knock against the Chennai Super Kings, but managed only 73 runs in six innings at an average of 24.33 and a strike rate of 130.36. The southpaw's limited range and tendency to get stuck against spin has troubled him greatly in the recent past.
With KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock opening the batting, Lewis must be deployed out of position if he plays. Kyle Mayers is present as a backup for De Kock, and LSG will probably target an overseas middle-order batter after smartly letting Lewis go.
#1 Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey was one of the biggest disappointments for LSG in IPL 2022. The experienced batter was picked to add some solidity to the top order, but he lost his place in the side after playing just six games.
Pandey scored 88 runs at an average of 14.67 and a strike rate of 110 in those games. He often tried to heave everything away on the leg-side after clearing his front leg, a strategy that brought about his downfall against the pacers alarmingly often. The veteran also got stuck at the crease multiple times, something that has haunted him for years now.
As a spin-hitter and electric fielder, Pandey might still find takers in the IPL 2023 auction. But he doesn't meet the requirements of LSG, who clearly lost faith in his abilities.