KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) might not have a busy IPL 2024 Auction. The UP-based franchise has almost retained their core squad and only let go of players who were not in the scheme of things. With six slots yet to be filled, including two for overseas players, Lucknow Super Giants is poised to make strategic additions to complete their established roster.
Meanwhile, there will be no Gautam Gambhir in LSG camp for the upcoming IPL 2024. Aussie veteran Justin Langer will make his IPL debut and spearhead LSG’s coaching staff. Langer will helped by the likes of Vijay Dahiya, Morne Morkel, Jonty Rhodes, Sridharan Sriram and other members of the coaching staff.
LSG made a total of two trades before the auction. They traded pacer Avesh Khan to Rajasthan Royals in exchange for Devdutt Padikkal. LSG also traded their all-rounder, Romario Shepherd to Mumbai Indians. As a result, the Lucknow-based franchise lost two genuine pacers.
LSG need a pacer that can support Mark Wood and Naveen-ul-Haq. Ideally, they should go for a proven big match-winner that can lead the pace battery. The likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Lockie Ferguson are some options for Lucknow. However, LSG’s low purse value might not allow them to get the services of Starc, Hazlewood or even Ferguson. The Lucknow management can go for an Indian pacer like Kartik Tyagi, Shivam Mavi, Chetan Sakariya and Yash Dayal.
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Apart from a pacer, a strong lower middle-order batter that can help finish games will be crucial to LSG’s line-up. In the overseas department, New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell can be a good option for LSG. In the Indian department, Shahrukh Khan is more than a handy option for the UP-based franchise.
List of players retained by LSG:
KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Prerak Mankad, Yudhvir Singh, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra, Naveen-ul-Haq.
Purse left: Rs 13.5 crore
Slots left: 6 (2 overseas)
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