The IPL 2022 auction was a huge success as more than 600 players went under the hammer in the two-day event on February 12-13 in Bengaluru and 204 of them got lucky as the ten IPL franchises splurged over INR 550 crores.
One of the two new franchises, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) also entered the fray in the auction, having already drafted KL Rahul (INR 17 crores), Marcus Stoinis (INR 9.2 crores), and uncapped Ravi Bishnoi (INR 4 crores) ahead of the event and handing the captaincy duties to KL Rahul.
They spent quite a lot of money and got some of the best players available. Their most expensive buy were Avesh Khan for INR 10 crores, Krunal Pandya for INR 8.25 crores, and England pacer Mark Wood for INR 7.50 crores.
They have formed a formidable squad for the IPL 2022 with firepower in all departments.
Therefore, Team COC presents to you the possible playing XI of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for IPL 2022.
It is a forgone conclusion that KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock will more or less open the innings for the Lucknow franchise. Both have an amazing record at the top in the IPL and T20 format as well. Rahul accumulated more than 500 runs in each of the last four seasons for the Punjab Kings and bagged the orange cap in IPL 2020.
He also scored 626 runs in 13 games at an average of 62.60 in IPL 2021 as well. De Kock had scored more than 500 runs each in IPL 2019 and 2020, and though had a lukewarm outing in IPL 2021, expect De Kock to focus totally on white-ball format after quitting Test cricket.
The middle-order is one of the most important ones and LSG can use Manish Pandey as the anchor at no.3. He is a veteran of the IPL tournament with 3560 runs in 154 matches at a strike rate of 121.83. He played the same role for Sunrisers Hyderabad for the last few seasons and is expected to do the same for LSG as well.
Then LSG has some serious firepower in Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, and Krunal Pandya, with Jason Holder for backup. Hooda is coming off a brilliant Syed Mushtaq Ali season where he amassed runs in every game and at an excellent strike rate as well, leading to his Indian team debut.
Stoinis was picked by LSG before IPL 2022 auction and had two amazing seasons for the Delhi Capitals in 2020 and 2021 scoring 211 and 352 runs respectively and picked a total of 15 wickets as well.
Krunal Pandya and Jason Holder will form a terrific finishing pair. Krunal learnt from the best in Mumbai Indians where he polished his game, while Holder has transformed himself into a good finisher in T20Is recently and also took four wickets in four balls against England in a recent T20 match.
He had also picked 30 wickets in the last two seasons of IPL.
K Gowtham was a steal for LSG at INR 90 lakhs and will provide some run containing spin bowling and the ability to brutalize any bowling attack in the death overs.
Ravi Bishnoi is expected to lead the spin department with Krunal Pandya and K Gowtham, with Deepak Hooda as the fourth spinner. He has so far picked up 24 wickets in 23 games in IPL with an economy rate of 6.96 and is definitely seen as a four-over bank for the franchise.
Avesh Khan and Mark Wood will form the pace bowling unit with Holder and Stoinis as a backup.
Wood will be an asset and possible X factor for LSG as he hits 150 kph plus speeds regularly and can bowl at death to rattle the big hitters. Avesh Khan finished IPL 2021 with 24 wickets and has an economy of less than 7.50, and now will get the chance to lead a bowling attack of an IPL franchise, which is well deserved.
COC possible playing XI for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG):
KL Rahul (C), Quinton de Kock (WK), Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, K Gowtham, Mark Wood, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan
