IPL 2024 – Match 4: Quinton de Kock to be dropped, Devdutt Padikkal to open? LSG’s Playing 11 vs RR
KL Rahul to bat in middle order for Lucknow Super Giants this season.
Sanju Samson’s Rajasthan Royals will open their Indian Premier League 2024 campaign against KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday.
Traded from the Rajasthan Royals ahead of the season, Devdutt Padikkal is set to make his LSG debut against his former franchise. Meanwhile, with Rahul being asked to play as a specialist batter for now by the BCCI, it will be interesting to see how the LSG XI will pan out.
New Acquisitions of LSG
The Super Giants have roped in six players: Shivam Mavi (Rs. 6.40 crore), Arshin Kulkarni (Rs. 20 lakh), M. Siddharth (Rs. 2.40 crore), Ashton Turner (Rs. 1 crore), David Willey (Rs. 2 crore), Mohd. Arshad Khan (Rs. 20 lakh). It will be interesting to see who makes the playing XI from these players.
LSG will rely on their experienced all-rounders to get the job done. LSG was also able to secure Shamar Joseph.
In fact, LSG will be under the coaching of Justin Langer, with Gautam Gambhir having moved to KKR. Meanwhile, there will also be a new role for KL Rahul as he will bat in the middle-order. He was asked to do so by the team management, keeping the T20 World Cup in focus.
Perfect Blend of Experience and Youngsters
With seasoned players like their captain KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, and Nicholas Pooran, all of whom have spent considerable time as top performers in multiple editions of the tournament, Lucknow Super Giants will hope to have another strong season. The team will also depend on their young talents, such as Devdutt Padikkal, M Siddarth, and Arshin Kulkarni.
With their first challenge of IPL 2024 coming against Rajasthan Royals on March 24, Rahul will be hoping to create the perfect balance between experience and youth in his side, which might see them through to their maiden IPL Final.
The Trade of Devdutt Padikkal
Arguably their best acquisition of the season, Devdutt Padikkal was traded from Rajasthan Royals for Avesh Khan. The 23-year-old batter has been in good form in domestic cricket, a trend that continued during his maiden Test against England in Dharamsala.
Showcasing a mixture of controlled and explosive batting style, Paddikal had already impressed many in the competition for his last two franchises RCB and RR.
On the other hand, IPL 2024 will bring Paddikal the opportunity to bounce back from his dismal IPL 2023 form, which saw him only manage 261 runs in 11 matches.
His inclusion will strengthen LSG’s middle-order batting and ensure key and strategic runs keep coming for their team, which was lacking in the last two seasons.
LSG’s Batting Brilliance
Regardless of the alterations that Rahul and the LSG management make in their playing XI, their top-order batting lineup possesses the potential to be one of the deadliest among the other teams in the tournament.
With the composure of De Kock and KL Rahul at the top, followed by the explosiveness of Pooran and Stoinis, batting never really poses a question mark on the side’s abilities.
Meanwhile, the inclusion of youngsters like Padikkal and Arshin, alongside Ayush Badoni, who impressed many with his batting prowess in IPL 2023, only enhances their squad depth.
Spin Bowling: An Overlooked Weakness
Bowling has been LSG’s weak point in both IPL 2022 and 2023, and that might just be the faulty brick in their IPL 2024 plans yet again.
Unlike their star-studded batting lineup, LSG lacks the spark in their bowling, be it spin or pace. Despite Ravi Bishnoi’s formidable form in IPL 2023 and India’s recent T20Is, LSG faces a lack of assurance in their spin options due to the lack of impactful performance or experience amongst the other names on the list.
The likes of Amit Mishra, Krunal Pandya, and K. Gowtham all had a forgettable season last year with their lacklustre performances.
This is exactly where LSG will hope to inject the powerplay expertise of their new signing M. Siddharth, which could turn out to be their only remedy to their spin problems, for better or worse.
LSG’s Probable Playing XI
KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock, Devdutt Padikkal, Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Ravi Bishnoi, Shivam Mavi, Shamar Joseph, M. Siddharth.
Impact players: Kyle Mayers, Shivam Mavi, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Prerak Mankad
