3 times LSG got their batting order wrong in IPL 2023
The Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign once again came to an end at the Eliminator stage following a heavy 81-run loss against the Mumbai Indians (MI) on Wednesday, May 24.
Chasing 183 for victory, Krunal Pandya and Co. crumbled against MI's bowling attack and were bowled out for a paltry 101.
The batting unit was tangled in a web following poor decision making and struggles with adaptability. While the conditions were tricky, LSG would have been better suited and prepared with a well-defined batting order.
Fans were far from pleased with the team's decision making over the course of the run chase, especially pertaining to the batting order that made little sense.
Ever since KL Rahul's season-ending injury, their batting order, especially their top three, have been chopped and changed constantly.
While the batting order is subject to change with respect to the match situation, LSG have made the wrong choice on multiple occasions, leading to their campaign coming to a close.
On that note, let us take a look at three times LSG got their batting order wrong in IPL 2023.
#1 LSG vs MI (M Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai)
As mentioned earlier, LSG made a mess of their batting order during the high-pressure run chase against MI in the IPL 2023 Eliminator.
The franchise brough in Kyle Mayers as the impact player while Prerak Mankad was the other opening batter.
With Krunal Pandya coming in at No.3, and Deepak Hooda playing at No.7, it was an uncoordinated and complicated mess that they could never recover from.
While LSG had depth in their batting unit, it was of no significant meaning as it was not used judiciously.
The constant change also means that players are not confined to a single role, which disrupts their clarity and also affects their output, which was on show.
#2 CSK vs LSG (M Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai)
LSG's batting unit crumbled ealier at Chepauk as well, but it was a hgh scoring encounter where they were genuinely in the hunt.
After being handed a mammoth target of 218, LSG were cruising at one stage after scoring 80 runs in the powerplay.
However, sending an out-of-form Deepak Hooda in at No.3 when the team needed to continue the momentum from the initial onslaught was a questionable decision.
CSK bounced back after two quick wickets and Krunal Pandya coming in at No.4 also did not help their cause.
The quick dismissals left them at 105-4 at the halfway stage, leaving a lot of work to the lower middle-order, who took the game deep atleast.
#3 LSG vs GT (Ekana Stadium, Lucknow)
In an encounter that will be etched in the mind of the fans for years to come, LSG failed to chase down 136 at home against Gujarat Titans (GT) despite being comfortable placed at 106-1 at one stage.
In a bid to spruce up their net run rate, Nicholas Pooran was promoted to No.4. However, the Caribbean wicketkeeper struggled on the slow wicket. Additionally, sending in Ayush Badoni instead of an in-form Marcus Stoinis also did not help their case.
Pooran and Badoni could only score nine runs of 13 deliveries in the death overs, leading to the required rate rising on the difficult pitch. which in turn piled on the pressure.
LSG appeared helpless in the end and fell seven runs short of the target after 20 overs.
Where do you think the franchise went wrong in their defeat to MI in the IPL 2023 Eliminator? Let us know what you think.