When it comes to the Indian Premier League, it's really teams like Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Sunrisers Hyderabad that have ruled over the years. Delhi Capitals have been fairly consistent in the last three years as well, so it won't be wrong to call these sides as the Giants of the tournament. However, now that the Lucknow Super Giants have stepped into the scene, it looks like an all-new force is set to unleash itself in the league.
The Super Giants assembled a squad of 21 players from the IPL 2022 auction and it consists of an excellent core of Indian and overseas players, which is important for any team to succeed in a highly competitive league like this.
When you combine that with a great think tank that consists of minds like Gautam Gambhir, a two-time IPL winning captain, and Andy Flower, who has been a highly successful coach in T20 and T10 Leagues around the world, it gives an indication of how good a force the side is going to become.
Flower and Co started with Quinton de Kock and Manish Pandey as their first two picks in the auction. They got de Kock for Rs 6.75 crore, which is fairly cheap by his standards. Pandey also came at a fair price of Rs 4.6 crore. They spent a huge amount of cash to build their pace attack in particular and they got equal quality in return as well. Here, we take a look at their overall squad, their strengths and challenges leading into the season.
Strengths
Well-rounded bowling attack
Lucknow's pace bowling unit in particular looks terrific. The pairing of Mark Wood and Avesh Khan is going to be excellent. Both can be middle-overs enforcers and can be equally good in the death overs. Avesh can be equally effective with the new ball as well. He had a really good season in IPL 2021, picking up 24 wickets at an average of 18.75.
West Indies' Jason Holder will lead their new-ball attack. He doesn't have the pace like Wood and Avesh but he adds a different dimension to the bowling attack with his ability to strike with the new ball. He is equally effective in the middle-overs with his change of pace on slower decks.
The spin attack will be led by young Indian leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, with Krunal Pandya and Krishnappa Gowtham acting as the support spinners. Bishnoi has impressed within a very short period of time with his ability to pick up wickets and contain runs at the same time. In 23 IPL matches so far, the 21-year-old has picked up 24 wickets at an excellent economy rate of 6.96. Even though Krunal and Gowtham's bowling returns of late have been very middling, they can reap the rewards of being surrounded by good bowlers here.
Experienced Top Four and Late Middle-Order
KL Rahul has been one of the most prolific run-scorers in the last four IPL seasons. He has amassed 600+ runs in three of the four editions since 2018. The only season he didn't cross the 600-run mark was in 2019, when he fell short by just seven runs. His opening partner Quinton de Kock has been equally consistent as well. He had middling numbers in the last season, with 297 runs at 29.70. But he amassed more than 500 runs in both IPL 2019 and 2020, and he will be eager to come up with similar returns for his new franchise.
Manish Pandey didn't have the best time in the last IPL season. He struggled quite a lot in the middle-overs and his strike-rate was down in the 120s too, but he was dealing with the pressure of having a thin lower middle-order behind him in Sunrisers Hyderabad. That isn't the case here and that will allow him to play more freely. Deepak Hooda brings a lot of experience as well. He has shown sublime form in domestic cricket and recently made his ODI debut for India. He would want to continue his good run of form here.
The late middle-order also looks really good with the likes of Marcus Stoinis, Jason Holder and Krunal Pandya there. All three have loads of experience when it comes to batting in those positions and situations. Stoinis and Krunal can float in the batting order depending on the skill set required. Krunal can be promoted in case Lucknow need someone to take on the spinners whereas Stoinis can go ahead in case they need a pace-hitter in the final 10 overs. Holder can also be an effective spin-hitter with his long levers.
All-Round Value
There are a total of five players within the first XI itself who can contribute with both bat and ball, thus adding to the all-round value of the side.
All three of Krunal Pandya, Marcus Stoinis, and Jason Holder, who make up Lucknow's late middle-order, are capable of playing active role as bowlers. Krishnappa Gowtham can tonk the ball a fair distance along with bowling off-breaks as well. Deepak Hooda can bowl some part-time off-spin, too, if needed.
Quality Overseas Backup
Lucknow have covered Mark Wood with a really good backup in Dushmantha Chameera. The Sri Lankan pacer clocks speeds above 140 kph as well. In case Wood needs to sit out with an injury or due to any other reason, Chameera ensures that they are not compromising on quality. The same goes with de Kock. A quality left-hand batter like Evin Lewis can come in in case Quinton de Kock has to sit out. Wicket-keeping duties can be handled by Rahul in that situation.
Kyle Mayers has also been picked as a backup for Marcus Stoinis. Even though Mayers isn't as popular a name as other players out there, he brings the same pace-hitting ability to the table like Stoinis and can bowl some overs of medium-pace as well, if needed.
Ankit Rajpoot and Mohsin Khan are decent Indian backups for Avesh Khan as well whereas Shahbaz Nadeem can be an effective spinner, too, whenever needed.
Challenges
Inexperienced Backup Options for Indian Batters
Simultaneous injuries to any two of Krunal, Hooda or Pandey might derail Lucknow's season as the batting depth for Indian batters on the bench is pretty poor. All three of Karan Sharma, Ayush Badoni and Mayank Yadav are pretty inexperienced when it comes to this level of cricket. In fact, 22-year-old Ayush Badoni has played only five T20 games so far and has just eight runs to his name in one innings. Manan Vohra comes with some experience at the IPL level but he hasn't been able to make his opportunities count either.
What Should the Lucknow Super Giants Playing XI for IPL 2022 Be?
Combination 1: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Jason Holder, Krunal Pandya, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Mark Wood, Avesh Khan
Andy Flower mentioned in an interview during the auction that they have chosen KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock as their opening pair. If that is the case, Pandey has to bat at No 3, which won't be the ideal position for him if his entry point is after powerplay. Hooda's entry could get delayed as well at No 4 and Lucknow might miss out on utilising his full spin-hitting range. The late middle and lower-order looks pretty much straight forward with the likes of Stoinis, Krunal and Holder set to float according to the situation.
Combination 2: Manish Pandey, Quinton de Kock (wk), Deepak Hooda, KL Rahul (c), Marcus Stoinis, Jason Holder, Krunal Pandya, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Mark Wood, Avesh Khan
In order to maximise both Pandey and Hooda's potential, the former should open the innings with de Kock with the latter batting at No 3. This way, Pandey can use his full pace-hitting range to clear the infield in the powerplay. He has been one of the best batters with fielding restrictions on in the last few years. Hooda can also take on the spinners while batting at No 3. His entry point doesn't get delayed much either. This comes at a cost, though, and that is moving Rahul down to No 4. But that is in the best interests of the team as Rahul has the skill set required to bat at that position. He has the hitting range against both spin and pace, which can make his switch to No 4 a masterstroke.
IPL 2022 Prediction
Lucknow's first XI looks really strong and balanced. If they manage to execute their plans properly and their Indian batters stay injury-free throughout the season, they have a real good shot at finishing as one of the top four sides.
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