Lucknow Super Giants splashed the cash on Nicholas Pooran to enhance their chances of winning the 2023 Indian Premier League.
The Super Giants, captained by KL Rahul, managed to make it to the play-offs last year, winning nine of their 14 games in their inaugural season. They lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the eliminator, but had an impressive first campaign.
Nicholas Pooran was the most expensive of their 10 new players, costing the franchise $1.95m. They also acquired the likes of Daniel Sams, Amit Mishra, and Romario Shepherd.
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LSG 2023 IPL squad
| Players | Role | Age | Auction Price | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KL Rahul | Batter/wicket-keeper | 30 | IND 17 crore ($2.07m) | India |
| Manan Vohra | Batter | 29 | IND 20 lakhs ($24,000) | India |
| Quinton de Kock | Batter/wicket-keeper | 30 | IND 6.75 crore (821,400) | South Africa |
| Ayush Badoni | All-rounder | 23 | IND 20 lakhs ($24,000) | India |
| Deepak Hooda | All-rounder | 27 | IND 5.75 crore ($700,000) | India |
| Krishnappa Gowtham | All-rounder | 34 | IND 90 lakhs ($109,500) | India |
| Karan Sharma | Batter | 22 | IND 20 lakhs ($24,000) | India |
| Krunal Pandya | All-rounder | 32 | IND 8.25 crore ($1m) | India |
| Kyle Mayers | All-rounder | 30 | IND 50 lakhs ($60,870) | West Indies |
| Marcus Stoinis | All-rounder | 33 | IND 9.2 crore ($1.12m) | Australia |
| Avesh Khan | Bowler | 26 | IND 10 crore ($1.2m) | India |
| Mark Wood | Bowler | 33 | IND 7.5 crore (913,000) | England |
| Mayank Yadav | Bowler | 20 | IND 20 lakhs ($24,000) | India |
| Mohsin Khan | Bowler | 24 | IND 20 lakhs ($24,000) | India |
| Ravi Bishnoi | Bowler | 22 | IND 4 crore (4486,800) | India |
| Jaydev Unadkat | Bowler | 31 | IND 50 lakhs ($60,870) | India |
| Yash Thakur | Bowler | 24 | IND 45 lakhs ($54,785) | India |
| Romario Shepherd | All-rounder | 28 | IND 50 lakhs ($60,870) | West Indies |
| Nicholas Pooran | Batter/wicket-keeper | 27 | IND 16 crone ($1.95m) | West Indies |
| Amit Mishra | Bowler | 40 | IND 50 lakhs ($60,780) | India |
| Daniel Sams | All-rounder | 30 | IND 75 lakhs ($91,306) | Australia |
| Prerak Mankad | All-rounder | 28 | IND 20 lakhs ($24,000) | India |
| Swapnil Singh | All-rounder | 31 | IND 20 lakhs ($24,000) | India |
| Naveen Ul Haq | Bowler | 23 | IND 50 lakhs ($60,780) | Afghanistan |
| Yudhvir Singh | All-rounder | 25 | IND 20 lakhs ($24,000) | India |
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Lucknow Super Giants stars, strengths & weaknesses
The Super Giants have a lot of star power in their batting unit and possess a lot of versatility through their all-rounders. Their out-and-out bowlers will perhaps need to fight for two to three spots in the starting 11.
Stars
Captain KL Rahul has gone from strength to strength since making his debut in this competition back in 2013. He finished second in the race for the Orange Cap, but was quite a way off Jos Buttler.
Quinton de Kock scored the highest total in the 2022 campaign, smashing 140 runs off 70 against the Kolkata Knight Riders. His opening partnership with his skipper will be great for all viewers to watch.
Strengths
As already mentioned, the Super Giants have quite a few all-rounders. These players, along with the addition of Pooran, should help them do better in the middle order compared to last year.
Hitting the right form at the right time 🙌#SAvWI | #LucknowSuperGiants | #GazabAndaz pic.twitter.com/gyXHr8ac4Z
— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) March 27, 2023
Only Dwayne Bravo and Lasith Malinga have more wickets in the IPL than Amit Mishra. Although the 40-year-old won't play many games this season, his experience should be a valuable asset in helping his team-mates.
Weaknesses
A potential problem for Lucknow could be their bowling in the death overs. A lot of that pressure will fall on Unadkat and Stoinis as they are more experienced than the other seam bowlers.
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