IPL 2022: Well-rounded Lucknow Super Giants can aim at strong debut season

IPL 2022: Lucknow Super Giants have built a squad that boasts a solid Indian core.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) may be making their debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season but a look at their squad would tell you that it would be a surprise if they are not one of the frontrunners for a top-four spot, or even comfortably within that section of the table, towards the end of the league stage. In some ways, LSG have given their captain KL Rahul something that he didn't have at the Punjab Kings - a set of steady personnel in the middle order.

LSG could be a contender for the top 4.  (LSG Twitter)

This, coupled with a fact that they have two world class all-rounders and a solid Indian core makes LSG one of the most well-rounded teams on paper. It remains to be seen how they will go about their business this season but LSG showed in their player retentions and the auctions that they know what they are doing.

Strength: Squad balance

In Quinton de Kock and Rahul, LSG have a formidable opening pair. One can expect De Kock in particular to be quite different to how he was when playing for the Mumbai Indians as he has now given up Test cricket and is well past the stage where he was skipping back and forth between captaining and not captaining South Africa. Rahul's strike rate over the past two seasons has been a source of criticism but that could be put down to the fact that it was so often the case that if Rahul and Mayank Agarwal didn't perform at the top of the order for Punjab, they would end up with precious little on the scoreboard. Now, with the likes of Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda and all-rounders Jason Holder and Marcus Stoinis to follow, we might see the kind of strike rate that Rahul maintained in the 2018 season. The fact that he enters this tournament in the form of his life accross formats.

LSG also boast a solid Indian core in the likes of Rahul, Hooda, Pandey, Krunal Pandya, Avesh Khan and Ravi Bishnoi, all of whom are almost guaranteed to be in the playing XI.

Weakness: Lack of a big name in pace battery

For now, it is hard to find a certain flaw in this team but the one that stands out is the fact that they don't have a big name in their pace battery. The fast bowling effort is likely to be led by Avesh, unless LSG decide to place their trust on Australian veteran Andrew Tye. The 25-year-old has only gone from strength to strength playing for the Delhi Capitals in the last two season, even outperforming his illustrious team mates Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, but with those two players around, he was part of a trio of formidable fast bowlers. Now, he will be leading a pack that is likely to include Sri Lanka's Dushmantha Chameera in addition to the all-rounders and the spinners. It will be interesting to see how this pans out.

Opportunities: Formidable death over batting

Marcus Stoinis and Jason Holder are likely to bat Nos. 5 and 6, with the team management deciding in which order the pair will come out. If they come in during the death overs with the team already on a solid total, one can expect fireworks from them and that makes for a scary prospect for any opposition side. In Rahul, De Kock and Pandey, LSG have players who can accumulate runs at the top of the order after which Holder and Stoinis are perfect to add the finishing touch. Rahul and De Kock are also players who famously possess a different gear and can unleash themselves if they manage to survive till the 16th over.

Threats: Availability of players

While Stoinis and Holder are formidable prospects in the lower middle order, one won't get to see what kind of impact they would have in the early part of the season. Stoinis is part of the Australia squad for the limited overs series in Pakistan while Holder will be playing for the West Indies in their Test series against England, as will be Kyle Mayers. Tye may have been brought in as a replacement for Mark Wood but the fact remains that the absence of the England fast bowler will hurt LSG.