IPL 2022 Auction: 3 traits of the LSG squad that put them ahead of the other teams
The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) may not have the most catchy name or the most inspiring logo, but they have established themselves as early contenders for a playoff spot in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Apart from their three pre-auction picks, KL Rahul, Marcus Stoinis and Ravi Bishnoi, LSG signed big names like Quinton de Kock, Avesh Khan and Jason Holder in the IPL 2022 auction. With a solid roster that can push the pre-existing franchises to their limit, the Sanjiv Goenka-owned outfit are all set for a positive start to their involvement in the cash-rich league.
LSG's squad for IPL 2022: KL Rahul, Marcus Stoinis, Ravi Bishnoi, Quinton de Kock, Manish Pandey, Jason Holder, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Mark Wood, Avesh Khan, Ankit Singh Rajpoot, K Gowtham, Dushmantha Chameera, Shahbaz Nadeem, Manan Vohra, Mohsin Khan, Ayush Badoni, Kyle Mayers, Karan Sharma, Evin Lewis, Mayank Yadav
Here are three things about LSG that make them real contenders for the upcoming IPL season.
#3 LSG have a well-rounded bowling attack
LSG splashed the cash on bowlers and multifaceted players in the IPL 2022 auction.
They shelled out north of INR 10 crore for exciting young fast bowler Avesh Khan and paired the Indian prodigy with an express pacer in Mark Wood. Given Wood's injury history, the franchise signed the pacy Dushmantha Chameera as a capable backup.
Ravi Bishnoi, now an Indian cricket team star in the T20I format, will lead the spin attack. Accompanying him will be finger-spinning all-rounders Deepak Hooda, Krishnappa Gowtham and Krunal Pandya. Shahbaz Nadeem has a ton of IPL experience under his belt as well.
LSG also have the pace-bowling all-rounder department covered. Jason Holder and Marcus Stoinis have gone from strength to strength in the shortest format over the last few years and have niche, versatile skillsets.
#2 LSG are assured of a mountain of runs from KL Rahul's blade
KL Rahul's tactics and ability to inspire his teammates are suspect, with him having made a terrible start to his captaincy career with both the Punjab Kings and the Indian team. But LSG are assured of a mountain of runs from the right-hander's blade.
KL Rahul is the leading Indian run-scorer over the last four IPL seasons, with 626, 670, 593 and 659 runs respectively. He has averaged over 50 in each of those seasons, and although his strike rate has been questionable of late, he has played several match-winning innings at the top of the order.
Gambhir has promised fans that Rahul will play uninhibited cricket based on the demands of the team. Alongside Quinton de Kock, who could take some pressure off the LSG skipper with his attacking strokeplay against pace in the powerplay, the 29-year-old could turn into a massive gamechanger for his new franchise.
#1 LSG have an army of all-rounders
LSG's strategy at the IPL 2022 auction was crystal clear. Apart from signing key Indian targets like Avesh Khan, they focused their energy and funds on acquiring as many all-rounders as they could.
Jason Holder, Krunal Pandya, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis and Krishnappa Gowtham are the names who are expected to follow Rahul, De Kock and Manish Pandey in the batting order.
As Gambhir explained on the day of the auction, LSG wanted to secure the services of various types of all-rounders who can be used according to the demands of the situation. And in both batting order and bowling options, the new franchise has a great deal of flexibility.