IPL 2022: Lucknow Super Giants predicted playing 11


IPL 2022: Lucknow Super Giants predicted playing 11

KL Rahul will lead Lucknow Super Giants

The most exciting time in the Indian cricket calendar is almost upon us! IPL 2022 is upon us and with it all the dazzle of a perfect meeting point of entertainment and sport. This really is the showbiz of the cricket world. And entering this melting pot of box office bat versus ball is Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

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The new franchise with owners who have already tasted the IPL with the Pune franchise have been very smart at the auction table. They were ably assisted by one of the most successful IPL leaders in Gautam Gambhir. The former KKR captain, winner of two IPLs, was present at the table of the new entrants to assist in their player biddings.

IPL 2022 – Lucknow team analysis

Marcus Stoinis
Marcus Stoinis will be key to LSG in IPL 2022

LSG had already made very good acquisitions through the draft prior to the mega auction where they picked up captain KL Rahul, Australian all rounder Marcus Stoinis and young upstart Ravi Bishnoi.

At the auction, they managed to build a very solid middle order, one filled with players who can contribute in all aspects of the game. T20 is a not as specialised a format as the others and hence, the multifaceted players are key to the success of teams.

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LSG, in this department, have performed very well at the auction table, picking up Deepak Hooda, Jason Holder and Krunal Pandya to fill the middle order. In fact, all three players can bowl and on most days can even fill as many as 8 overs between them. If one adds Marcus Stoinis to the mix, that makes for roughly half of the innings in the top 7.

This will allow LSG to play someone like Krishnappa Gowtham at number 8 and that will allow them to bat deep with firepower. Gowtham has a reputation of hitting the long ball and can chip in with very handy off spin bowling.

LSG have a solid top order too, with KL Rahul set to open the innings aside Quinton de Kock. The latter is likely to don the gloves for this franchise. Manish Pandey will get an extended run at number 3 and with Gambhir around, the man under whom Manish Pandey played his best cricket, this could be a big season for the first Indian to score an IPL century.

LSG have good backups at the top with Evin Lewis and Manan Vohra, who can both step in case a vacancy needs filling. Kyle Mayers can be a middle order back up too in case Jason Holder or Marcus Stoinis are unavailable. This would mean that LSG miss a bowler but they have plenty in their tank.

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Lucknow, stacked in most departments, lack depth in Indian fast bowling. Avesh Khan, fresh off a breakthrough season with Delhi in IPL 2021. The other option is Ankit Rajpoot, yet another former KKR player. In Mark Wood, LSG have a genuine quick bowler and his deputy is Sri Lankan Dushmantha Chameera.

In the spin department, accompanying leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi is experienced left arm orthodox Shahbaz Nadeem. The former is someone the Lucknow franchise believe in and are investing in the long term, given he was not allowed to enter the pool of players for the mega auction. And in Shahbaz Nadeem, LSG possess a canny operator who knows the Indian conditions very well. Apart from the pair, Krunal Pandya, Hooda and Gowtham can all turn their arms.

IPL 2022 – Lucknow predicted 11

KAR vs RAJ Dream11
Ravi Bishnoi is already in the senior national team’s scheme of things

KL Rahul (C), Quinton de Kock (WK), Manish Pandey, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Jason Holder, Krunal Pandya, Krishnappa Gowtham, Mark Wood, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi.