Here's a look at LSG playing XI for IPL 2024

Lucknow Super Giants under the captaincy of star Indian wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul will be looking ahead to go past the playoff round and make it to the bigger stage in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2024. LSG debuted in the Indian Premier League in the 2022 edition of the tournament.

KL Rahul’s men qualified for the playoffs in their first-ever appearance in the cash-rich Indian franchise tournament. Subsequently, they successfully made it to the playoff stage of the tournament continuously in their second appearance during the Indian Premier League 2023 as well.

With that said, here we’ll look at the strongest playing XI for the Lucknow Super Giants for the upcoming edition of the tournament following the IPL 2024 auction earlier this month.  

Openers – Quinton de Kock (WK) and Devdutt Padikkal

The veteran South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock amazed everyone with his sensational performances throughout the entire ODI World Cup 2023; it was also his last appearance in ODI cricket as he had announced his retirement from Test and ODI cricket. De Kock ended up as the third leading run-scorer in the tournament, scoring 594 runs in 10 matches.

He could be the best option for LSG to start the innings alongside the young Indian southpaw Devdutt Padikkal; it will also bring a good blend of experience and young talent to LSG’s top-order batting attack. 

Middle-Order - Deepak Hooda, KL Rahul (C), and Nicholas Pooran

LSG might count on the star Indian batter Deepak Hooda for the number 3 spot in the top order of the batting lineup. He showed an impressive batting form in the recently concluded Vijay Hazar Trophy 2023, in which he scored 2 centuries, alongside a half-century in the tournament.

Hooda might be followed by the skipper KL Rahul at the number 4 to provide both stability and aggression for the side in the middle-order. Apart from that, the explosive Caribbean batter Nicholas Pooran could be a perfect fit for the number 5 spot for the Lucknow Super Giants.

All-Rounders - Marcus Stoinis and Krunal Pandya

Speaking of the all-rounders, the LSG management might go ahead with Marcus Stoinis and Krunal Pandya in their ideal playing XI for the next edition of the tournament. It will also provide a balance of a pace-bowling all-rounder, alongside a spin-bowling all-rounder.

Stoinis was quite impressive with the bat in the Indian Premier League 2023, scoring 408 runs in 15 innings of the 15 matches, he played. Stoinis scored these runs with a commendable average of 31.38, hitting three half-centuries. He also got a chance to bowl in 5 innings of the 15 matches, scalping 5 wickets. He could get good support from the spin-bowling all-rounder Krunal Pandya, who scalped 9 wickets with the ball in IPL 2023.

Bowlers - Mark Wood, Amit Mishra, Shivam Mavi, and Mohsin Khan

The bowling arsenal of the Lucknow Super Giants looks quite eye-catching, with a mix of both experience and young talent. The star England pacer Mark Would be leading the pace attack; he also amazed everyone with his stunning performance in the Indian Premier League 2023, scalping 11 wickets in just 4 innings of the 4 matches, he played for his side, with the best performance of 5/14. 

In the pace battery, Wood could be accompanied by two young pacers Shivam Mavi and Mohsin Khan to put the opponent under pressure with the new ball in the opening spell. Apart from this pace trio, an experienced spinner in Amit Mishra could be a great asset for the LSG in the next season of the tournament.