Ranking LSG's buys at IPL 2024 Auction
The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had already pulled off an important move for their team even before the IPL 2024 auction began by trading in Devdutt Padikkal from the Rajasthan Royals (RR).
With skipper KL Rahul likely to bat in the middle order alongside Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran, Padikkal could open the batting with either Quinton de Kock or Kyle Mayers. They also have the likes of Ravi Bishnoi, Mark Wood and Mohsin Khan in the bowling department.
With the core of their team already looking settled, LSG just had to focus on plugging some gaps and adding backups in their squad. They went on to sign six players and were pretty much content with the whole squad that they had assembled.
On that note, let's see how the Super Giants fared with their buys in the IPL 2024 auction:
Shivam Mavi (₹6.4 crore) - 8.5/10
To acquire the services of Padikkal, LSG traded pacer Avesh Khan to the Royals. This meant that they needed to go to the auction and find a quality Indian replacement. While Shivam Mavi hasn't set the stage on fire, he has shown that there's enough potential to become a world-class bowler.
Mavi will also go into a team where he will get game time, after missing out on playing even a single game for the Gujarat Titans last year. He has played 32 IPL games, picking up 30 wickets and is also a capped international for India.
Arshin Kulkarni (₹20 lakh) - 8/10
Arshin Kulkarni had made waves with his incredible power-hitting and all-round skills in the Maharashtra Premier League. In six T20s, he scored 121 runs at an incredible strike rate of 163.51.
An under-19 player for India with the potential to become the next world-class seam-bowling all-rounder, LSG might have unearthed a gem just at base price if they groom him well.
David Willey (₹2 crore) - 8/10
Despite playing just four games for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) last season, David Willey looked among their best bowlers, picking up three wickets at an economy rate of just 7. He was also arguably England's best bowler at the 2023 World Cup and it shocked quite a few how the left-arm pacer didn't get a central contract.
Having retired from international cricket, Willey's availability will not be an issue for LSG and he can prove to be quite a solid backup with his batting ability as well.
M Siddharth (₹2.4 crore) - 8/10
Another uncapped player whose sample space is small but can give great returns, left-arm spinner M Siddharth went to LSG after a small bidding war. In seven T20 games, he has 18 wickets at a fantastic economy rate of 6.5. He can be used as a great backup for Krunal Pandya and can also be unleashed as a third spinner on turning tracks.
Arshad Khan (₹20 lakh) - 7.5/10
Having been picked by the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023 and with the expectations on him being their dependable seam bowling all-rounder, Arshad Khan seemed to wilt under pressure.
He has played a total of nine T20 games, picking up five wickets at a pretty expensive economy rate of 12.62. However, there is still potential in the Madhya Pradesh cricketer and again it will come down to how LSG handle him.
Ashton Turner (₹1 crore)- 7/10
It was just one of those buys that didn't make a whole lot of sense, especially given Ashton Turner's IPL career in which he has scored just three runs. Coach Justin Langer is also from Western Australia and he might have seen something in the Australian all-rounder that many have missed.
However, with potentially better backup options available at the auction, only time will tell whether Turner's purchase was a shrewd move.