The mega auction is near and it’s time for all the teams to shuffle with their existing squads. Many teams are going to lose their successful combination while others would get a chance to solve their long term problems in their squads. And among those in the mix, would be 2 new teams who would be joining the existing 8 Sides to form a great competitive squad.
While the existing sides had the privilege to retain up to 4 players from their current Squad, the new sides too got a great chance to retain 3 players from the released lot of players, who were not retained by their existing sides.
So let's have a look at the Pre Auction analysis of one of the new teams – Lucknow Super Giants.
Quick Details:
Owner: RPSG Group (who previously owned Rising Pune Supergiants from 2016-2017)
Team Name: Lucknow Super Giants (Announced 24 January 2022)
Purchase Price: Rs. 7090 crores (USD 940 Million) on 25th October 2021
Head Coach – Andy Flower
Assistant Coach – Vijay Dahiya
Mentor – Gautam Gambhir
Retention Rules for the New Teams
The new teams can acquire up to 3 players, out of which 2 must be Indian players and 1 must be an overseas player. The amount allocation is as follows:
1. For 3 Capped Players – Rs 15 Crs, Rs 11 Crs and Rs 7 Crs
2. For 2 Capped Players – Rs 14 Crs and Rs 10 Crs
3. For 1 Capped Player – Rs 14 Crs
4. For 2 Capped and 1 Uncapped Players – Rs 14 Crs, Rs 10 Crs, and Rs 4 Crs for the Uncapped Player
5. For 1 Capped and 2 Uncapped Players – Rs 14 Crs and Rs 4 Crs each for both the Uncapped Players
* The Actual Amount would be deducted from the Purse, in case of a player being paid higher than prescribed amounts.
* The prescribed amount would be deducted from the purse, in case of players being paid lesser.
Acquired Players:
Acquired Players: KL Rahul (17 Crs), Marcus Stoinis (9.2 Crs) and Ravi Bishnoi (4 Crs)
Purse Deduction - KL Rahul (17 Crs), Marcus Stoinis (10 Crs) and Ravi Bishnoi (4 Crs)
Balance Purse Amount – Rs 59 Crs
What they already have:
KL Rahul – Captain, Wicket Keeper and Opener
Marcus Stoinis – Fast Bowling Allrounder, Finisher and Backup Opener
Ravi Bishnoi – Spinner
Interestingly, the other new side – Ahmedabad, too have acquired 3 same set of players – An opener (Gill), a fast bowling allrounder (Pandya) and a spinner (Rashid) and got a captain in the process too. But LSG have an edge by getting their 3 players at 7 Crs lesser than Ahmedabad plus a WK in Rahul. The fact that Rahul is much more experienced Captain than Hardik is an icing on the cake.
What they need from the Mega Auction:
1. Mandatory Requirements:
Aggressive Opener: With KL Rahul, LSG already have one opener and they would be looking for his partner in the auction. Although Rahul has been a consistent performer (He has been in the Top 3 Run Scorers for the last 4 seasons), his strike Rate has always been a concern, so they would like to aim for an aggressive opening partner for Rahul, to capitalize in the Powerplay and give time for Rahul to settle. Its worth mentioning that Stoinis can open too as he has already done for DC during the playoffs in 2020 and previously in BBL, but he has been picked purely as a finisher as per their Mentor Gautam Gambhir.
Middle Order Batsmen: Their skipper’s previous side Punjab Kings, have suffered due to the poor middle Order, which failed to cash on the great starts from their openers and surely LSG would not like that to happen again with KL Rahul. So they should be aiming for reliable batsmen who can not just attack after a great start, but also rescue the side when the top Order fails.
Spin Bowling Allrounder: Ravi Bishnoi is a smart pick by the team and one more spinner in the side would make their spin attack complete. When most sides would be fielding at least 2 Spinners, it would be a great risk to field just one spinner in the XI. Adding a specialist spinner would mean they would be playing with just 2 specialist Pacers which could disturb the team combination. Also Stoinis is not very reliable as a 5th Bowler. A spin bowling Allrounder is the only solution.
Reliable Fast Bowlers: This is probably the only area which is completely blank for LSG as of now. The other departments have more or less been filled by the 3 Acquired Players. Stoinis might be handy as he is a medium pacer but he isn’t a specialist. They would need a set of specialist fast bowlers to help them pick wickets in the Powerplay and control runs at the death.
2. Optional Requirements:
Wicket Keeper: KL Rahul is expected to keep the wickets for the LSG, as he has been doing it for last few years now but a triple role of Captain-Opener-WK can take a toll on him and affect his captaincy, as was the case for his previous side Punjab Kings. If LSG delegates this duty to someone else, this could reduce the burden of their skipper.
Vice-Captain: Its still early days for KL Rahul as a captain. If LSG brings in an experienced Vice-Captain to support Rahul in the leadership group, it would not just help Rahul to grow as a captain, but also help the team in the difficult situations.
6 Players they could target:
With 59 Crs left in their purse, they would be the 4th richest team to enter the Mega Auction after PBKS (72 Crs), SRH (68 Crs) and RR (62 Crs), meaning they can purchase more quality players without much competition. But that doesn’t mean that it would be easy to get any player they set their eyes on, as other franchises would be keen to build their respective teams.
Therefore, they will have to smartly purchase a mix of international as well as uncapped players that are affordable and reliable. The below should be the players that they might target in the mega Auction, along with the substitute players in case they fail to get them:
1. Quinton de Kock: He can keep, open and can lead as well. Just like their skipper KL Rahul, de Kock too can don all 3 roles at one time and having him on board along with Rahul means wicketkeeping and captaincy can be divided between the 2 making things simpler for both.
Backup option - Jonny Bairstow: Another Aggressive Opener who can keep as well. A Perfect partner for Rahul at the top. The only problem should be the fact he has no experience as a captain, so they can’t look up to him as a Vice Captain.
2. Shimron Hetmyer: On his day, he can attack any bowler and has been a crucial part of DC setup in last few seasons. Having him on board would make their middle order look dangerous along with his DC Partner Stoinis.
Backup option - Nicholas Pooran: Another player from West Indies, whose power hitting can change the course of match within an over. He can keep wickets too and also is the Vice Captain of West Indies National Side. Moreover, his performance in last season of 85 Runs at 7.72 including 4 Ducks might restrict the no. of buyers, ensuring that he is purchased at a much cheaper rate.
3. Washington Sundar: A floater with the bat and a great spinner with the ball, this young allrounder should be a great addition to the side. He is especially known for his Powerplay bowling abilities. He and Bishnoi could make things difficult for the batting side. Being just 22 Years Old, he can be the future of the team.
Backup option - Rahul Tewatia: Another Spin Bowling Allrounder, who cannot be forgotten for his contribution in the Highest IPL Chase by RR back in 2020. A Finisher with the Bat and a handy spinner with the ball, he can be a perfect buy in case Washington couldn’t be picked.
4. Rahul Tripathi: He began his IPL Career playing for RPSG, which was owned by the same owner as the LSG. Being a top Order batsman, he fits in the lower order too if required as he did for KKR recently. He can be an economical yet a reliable pick for LSG.
Backup option - Saurabh Tiwary: Being part of an extremely strong batting unit of Mumbai Indians, his opportunities were strictly restricted to injuries but he has proved his capabilities even in those few innings. If given a full-fledged chance, he can be a great lower order batsmen of the New Team.
5. Lockie Ferguson: With the raw pace, he is one of the most dangerous bowler in the IPL currently. He hasn’t got many opportunities with KKR but could be a great asset for LSG.
Backup option - Nathan Coulter Nile: Another victim for a strong MI Side that restricted his opportunities to Injuries or Rest. With 7 Wickets at 18.14 and Economy Rate of just 6.35, he has done enough in the 5 matches that he played in the last season to prove his prowess.
6. Mohammed Shami: With 19,20 and 19 Wickets in his last 3 seasons, Shami can bowl well in both the Powerplay and the death. Having previously worked with KL Rahul already in the last 4 seasons, it is sure that Rahul might want to have him back in his new side.
Backup option - Prasidh Krishna: This youngster has showcased his potential right from the first season he played for the Kolkata Knight Riders. He made a roaring debut for the Indian team picking 9 Wickets in just 4 ODIs. He might be expensive sometimes but surely he will get better with time.
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