3 reasons why Deepak Hooda and KL Rahul should swap positions for LSG
It was a choke of the highest order from the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) against the Gujarat Titans in match 30 of IPL 2023, when they could not chase a paltry score of 135, that too while needing 30 runs in as many deliveries with eight wickets in hand.
Skipper KL Rahul, who was well set in the middle, had the responsibility of taking his team home on a track that was not easy for new batsmen to come in and start playing shots.
But after consuming almost 60% of the deliveries, he got out at the wrong time, leaving his team in a spot of bother.
A win would have propelled them into contention for the top two, which is still not out of their reach. But for that to happen, the LSG batsmen need to support their bowlers' valiant efforts, which have been instrumental in their four wins so far.
LSG's top order has been their achilles' heel so far, with their sub-par SR putting extra pressure on the rest of the batsmen.
To resolve this issue, the LSG think tank can swap the batting positions of Rahul and Deepak Hooda for the remaining matches, which seems very viable for a number of reasons.
In this article, we'll take a look at three of them.
3 reasons why LSG should swap the batting positions of KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda
#3. KL Rahul's slow approach in powerplay
Rahul has been batting with an ultra-conservative approach in the powerplay in order to anchor the innings and play longer.
He has so far batted with an SR of 117.9 in this phase of the game, and surprisingly, he has been dismissed only once in seven innings so far, hitting a boundary every six balls.
This indicates that he is making the job of the rest of the LSG batsmen tougher as they have to bat way more aggressively than they would like.
Moving a flamboyant player like Hooda, who is currently batting at No. 3, into the opening slot will ease the pressure on the middle order and give them breathing space.
#2. KL Rahul can control the innings at 3
While opening, Rahul seems too anxious about losing his wicket and is too focused on making sure that big hitters ike Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis don't have to come in too early.
Batting at No. 3, he would have a fair idea of the tempo he has to maintain in his innings and thus could control the flow of the innings.
#1. KL Rahul is phenomenal against spinners
Rahul had his breakthrough season while playing for RCB in 2016, when used to bat at No. 3/4 and averaged 44.1 with a fantastic SR of 146.1.
The main reason behind his success that season was his astute game against spin. That season, he plundered spinners at an impressive SR of 144.1, averaging 48.1.
This indicates that he can mold his innings against spinners without any fuss and can easily settle into the No. 3 slot for LSG.