3 ways Justin Langer's LSG have become better than IPL 2023
The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), who were introduced into the Indian Premier League along with the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 2022 edition, have become one of the giants in this cash-rich competition.
They have done reasonably well for themselves this season and are perched upon the fourth position of the league table at the time of writing with 10 points to their name.
With finishes in the playoffs in both seasons that they have played in so far, LSG have managed to keep up with the best teams in the tournament. However, the IPL title has eluded them so far, which they will be keen on picking up this season.
Head coach Justin Langer, who has been with the franchise since 2023, has had a visible impact on the side and allowed all his players to flourish with freedom and without any pressure.
In this listicle, we take a look at three ways in which Langer's LSG have become better in 2024 than in IPL 2023.
#1 LSG have become more clinical
It goes without saying that the Super Giants have become far more clinical this season than they were in their previous campaign. They have tried to finish games by taking them till the end and have not been satisfied with half-measures.
This has to be due to the impact that Langer has had on them since they seem to be paying more attention to detail without leaving anything to chance.
It appears as if LSG have understood that they cannot leave things to the heavens above, and to control their own fate, have tried to make sure that there are no bits left undone.
Langer has had a massive role to play in this, given how big a stickler he is for routine, preparation, and paying keen attention to detail.
#2 They are fielding well
What LSG are doing exceptionally well this season is working on improving their fielding. With Jonty Rhodes as their fielding coach, it was expected of the franchise to do well on the field, and they have lived up to such expectations.
Fielding is a department that Langer takes a personal interest in and has stressed consistently in most of the interactions that he has had with the media.
What fielding well does is give confidence to their players and allow them to focus on their respective skills, be it in bowling or batting. This has also saved crucial runs for the side on the field and allowed them to take catches and halt their opponents' momentum.
#3 They are chasing well
Another factor that has worked well for LSG this season is that they have chased exceptionally well.
They already have a lot of top-quality hitters on their side, but it appears as if this season, they have paid a lot of attention to detail and decided to be more clinical than usual, as stated above.
Be it the way they chased against CSK on Tuesday or against the same opposition on April 19 at home, Lucknow appear as if they are a more compact and complete side this year.
Langer must have had a chat with all his players and reiterated to them the importance of finishing things off and becoming compact in general.
They have not yet lost a game this season when they were chasing apart from their season opener against the Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on March 24. A side that chases well is often prepared for bigger things.