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Mayers or Hooda, who will open with Rahul in De Kock's absence? A look at LSG's strongest possible XI for IPL 2023
Quinton De Kock's unavailability might pave the way for either Kyle Mayers or Deepak Hooda to open the innings for Lucknow Super Giants (KSG) with skipper KL Rahul at IPL 2023.
Warming up for the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) opener Quinton de Kock slammed a blistering century against West Indies in the 2nd T20I of the bilateral series. Riding on De Kock's sensational century, Aiden Markram's South Africa completed the highest successful run chase in the history of the T20I cricket at the SuperSport Park on Sunday.
Though De Kock has hit top form in the lead-up to the IPL 2023, KL Rahul's LSG side is expected to miss the services of the star batter in their tournament opener. South Africa have named a full-strength squad for the white-ball series against the Netherlands. The Proteas have to win the two matches against the Dutch side if South Africa want to qualify directly for ODI World Cup in India.
Thus, LSG are expected to name a De Kock-less side for their first two matches of the IPL 2023. De Kock's unavailability will also pave the way for either Kyle Mayers or Deepak Hooda to spearhead the LSG top order with skipper Rahul. Mayers might have an edge over Hooda if LSG wants to keep up with the left and right-hand opening combination. Mayers slammed a quick-fire 27-ball-51 against South Africa to further strengthen his bid. India's Hooda had famously scored a ton for the Men In Blue as an opening batter last year.
LSG pacer Mohsin Khan is reportedly set to miss a major portion of IPL 2023 due to a shoulder injury. With De Kock set to join LSG camp only after April 3, either skipper Rahul or Nicholas Pooran can keep wickets for Lucknow. The West Indies power-hitter was signed by LSG for a whopping sum of INR 16 crore at the IPL auction.
Debutants in the 2022 edition of the cash-rich league, Lucknow made it to the playoff stage of the elite tournament last season. Rahul's LSG side will meet Delhi Capitals (DC) in their IPL 2023 opener at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
A look at LSG's strongest possible XI for IPL 2023:
Quinton de Kock/Kyle Mayers, KL Rahul (c), Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Marcus Stoinis, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mark Wood, Mohsin Khan/Jaydev Unadkat.
LSG squad for IPL 2023:
KL Rahul (captain), Avesh Khan, Ayush Badoni, Quinton de Kock (wk), K Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Prerak Mankad, Kyle Mayers, Amit Mishra, Mohsin Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Ravi Bishnoi, Daniel Sams, Karan Sharma, Romario Shepherd, Marcus Stoinis, Swapnil Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Manan Vohra, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Yash Thakur, Yudhvir Singh.
