"Even one rupee was not left" - Aakash Chopra lauds Lucknow Super Giants' 'phenomenal' bidding at the IPL 2022 Auction
Aakash Chopra believes Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were not only precise in their spending, but also made some outstanding buys at the IPL 2022 Auction.
The Sanjiv Goenka-owned franchise had already picked three players in the draft, and named KL Rahul as their captain ahead of the mega auction. While picking 18 more players at the auction, they utilised their full available budget of Rs 90 crore.
While reviewing the auction, in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra rated Lucknow Super Giants behind only Chennai Super Kings, reasoning:
"I have given the Lucknow Super Giants the second-most numbers. I have given them 9/10. First, they spent all the money they had; even one rupee was not left. They are phenomenal; how can someone do it with so much precision. They bought 21 players, and there are some outstanding buys."
The cricketer-turned-commentator believes the franchise pulled off a heist by acquiring Jason Holder, with Marcus Stoinis already in the side, explaining:
"They had Rahul, Stoinis and Bishnoi. If you have Stoinis, you think if you can get Jason Holder. Generally, teams think if they can get Stoinis or Mitchell Marsh or Jason Holder. You don't get all three together, they have got two already."
Aakash Chopra feels Quinton de Kock is another exceptional buy for LSG, observing:
"In Quinton de Kock, you have got a player who is 29 years old, and plays just white-ball cricket. You got him for 6.75 crores; he will open and hit, and he is left-handed. Phenomenal buy."
De Kock is likely to open alongside Rahul for Lucknow Super Giants. He can also perform wicketkeeping duties, thereby allowing Rahul to concentrate on captaincy.
"Manish Pandey and Deepak Hooda seem to be a steal" - Aakash Chopra on Lucknow Super Giants' middle-order picks
Aakash Chopra reckons Deepak Hooda and Manish Pandey at Rs 5.75 and Rs 4.6 crore respectively were cheap buys for the franchise, saying:
"You see Manish Pandey and Deepak Hooda, and then you think Rahul Tewatia, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi - they were all expensive; Manish Pandey and Deepak Hooda seem to be a steal."
The 44-year-old also highlighted the depth in the Lucknow-based franchise's batting department, elaborating:
"After that, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya and Jason Holder. They also have Krishnappa Gowtham. No team has so many all-rounders. I mean go to this team if you want to make a list of multi-faceted cricketers."
Aakash Chopra concluded by pointing out that LSG have a potent bowling lineup also, with good backups in all departments, explaining:
"Avesh Khan, Mark Wood, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, gave themselves the option of Evin Lewis as an opener. They also have Kyle Mayers, and have an option in Manan Vohra as well. This is a phenomenal team."
The Super Giants have assembled. 🤩🤩
Lucknow, how's our squad looking? 💪
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Lucknow Super Giants have certainly assembled a formidable squad at the IPL 2022 auction. The plethora of all-rounders in their lineup gives them a lot of depth in both batting and bowling departments.