Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) IPL Team: Squad and Predicted Playing 11

When we talk about the best sports leagues in the world, the Indian Premier League is right up there with the top sporting leagues, like England’s English Premier League and the USA’s NBA, NFL, or MLB. The IPL not only competes with these big leagues in terms of the entertainment quotient or the number of people it engages but also financially. The IPL is one of the most lucrative sports competitions around the world and is valued at over $10 Billion. For a competition like this, it is imperative that it keeps evolving and continues providing the thrill and entertainment to all cricket lovers in the world. To make the league more entertaining and help more and more development of the youth, the BCCI decided on the addition of two more teams in the IPL from the 2022 season. On

Of the two new franchises, one of them was going to be from Gujarat, and one from Uttar Pradesh. Eventually, two teams, the Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) IPL teams were formed. 

GT went on to win the IPL Trophy in their debut season itself, and though LSG haven’t been as successful, they qualified for the playoffs and posed in both seasons they played and posed a challenger to every team in the league. 

In this article by ZAP, let’s learn more about the Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) IPL Team, their owners, their IPL performances in the past two seasons, and look at their squad and players for the 2024 season.

Lucknow Super Giants Owner and Team History:

Credit: Hindustan Times

In August 2021, the BCCI and the IPL Governing Council, aimed to enhance the IPL's scope, transforming it into a larger and more spectacular league that is dedicated to fostering local talent development and becoming the ultimate entertainment destination for cricket fans. They called for bids on two new IPL teams, with one representing Gujarat and the other Uttar Pradesh. This garnered attention from 22 companies, but due to a steep base price, ultimately only six serious bidders came forward. The RPSG Group, owned by Sanjiv Goenka, placed the winning bid of ₹7,090 crore (about ₹80 billion, or US$1.0 billion, in 2023) for the rights to run the Lucknow franchise. They named the team “Lucknow Super Giants” by holding a competition among fans to select the name. The owners of the Lucknow Super Giants, The RPSG Group also owned the Rising Pune Supergiants IPL Team which was a part of the tournament for two years when Chennai Superkings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) were banned from playing in the league due to charges of fixing. The RPSG Group also owns the historic football club, the Mohun Bagan Supergiants which plays in the Indian Super League. 

Lucknow Supergiants IPL journey:

In the mega auction of February 2022, Lucknow Supergiants made a splash by signing top players like KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Mark Wood, and Marcus Stoinis. Later, they appointed KL Rahul as captain, brought in Andy Flower as head coach, and enlisted Gautam Gambhir as the team mentor. In the 2022 season, the team secured a third-place finish in the group stage, making it to the playoffs. Unfortunately, they were knocked out in the eliminator match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The 2023 season saw a similar story, ending in a third-place finish and another eliminator loss, this time to Mumbai Indians. 

Lucknow Super Giants Home Ground – The Ekana Cricket Stadium:

Credit: Sportstar - The Hindu

The Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee (BRSABV) Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow is the home ground of the Lucknow Supergiants IPL team. It is one of India's newest stadiums and came into the limelight when the LSG was formed. Due to COVID restrictions, all IPL matches took place in Maharashtra, with some playoff games in Eden Gardens and Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium. It was only until 2023 that these restrictions were lifted and the Ekana stadium started hosting IPL games for the first time. The stadium is one of the largest stadiums in India, holding up to 50,000 spectators. Compared to all Indian stadiums, this one has the longest straight boundaries, yet because of its batting-friendly cricket pitch, scoring runs isn't too difficult. IN 7 matches played at their home ground, LSG have won 3 and lost 3 with 1 match without a result. 

Lucknow Super Giants IPL Players and Squad:

Credit: India TV News

Lucknow Supergiants in the 2023 IPL were a mix of young guns and seasoned players. Led by KL Rahul, they stormed into the playoffs for two consecutive seasons. The top order boasted firepower with Kyle Myers, Quinton de Kock, and skipper Rahul dominating the powerplay. The middle order was a powerhouse featuring Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, and Deepak Hooda, supported by the versatile Krunal Pandya. The young sensation Ayush Badoni played thrilling cameos at the death overs. While the fast bowling department wasn't their forte, spin was their strength. Leg spinners Yash Thakur and Ravi Bishnoi learned tricks from the experienced Amit Mishra. The pace attack was led by Naveen ul Haq, Jaydev Unadkat, and Mark Wood.

LSG players bought at IPL 2024 auction: 

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), Devdutt Padikkal (traded).

Lucknow Super Giants IPL 2024 Squad:

Batsman: Devdutt Padikkal, Ayush Badoni, Ashton Turner (AUS).

Wicketkeepers: Quinton de Kock (SA), KL Rahul ©, Nicolas Pooran (WI).

All-rounders: Deepak Hooda, K. Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kyle Mayers (WI), Marcus Stoinis (AUS), Prerak Mankad, Yudhvir Singh Charak, David Willey (ENG), Arshin Kulkarni, Md. Arshad Khan.

Bowlers: Mark Wood (ENG), Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra, Naveen-ul-Haq (AFG), Shivam Mavi, Manimaran Siddarth.

Lucknow Super Giants Predicted playing 11:

KL Rahul (c), Quinton De Kock (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Nicolas Pooran, Krunal Pandya, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda/ Ayush Badoni, Shivam Mavi, Mark Wood, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur.

Lucknow Super Giants Captain:

Credit: NDTV Sports

LSG hit the jackpot when they convinced KL Rahul to switch gears from Punjab Kings to lead their squad. Becoming the Lucknow Supergiants Captain, KL Rahul brought a winning touch to the team with his strategic prowess. As an opener, he formed strong partnerships in the powerplays, setting the stage on fire alongside Quinton de Kock in 2022 and later with Kyle Mayers in 2023. His captaincy and tactical understanding, clubbed with Gautam Gambhir’s experience helped Lucknow win a lot of the high pressure close encounters, be it against the ones vs. RCB, CSK, or any other team. Not stopping just at the IPL, Rahul was made the vice-captain of the Indian Cricket Team, standing tall behind Rohit Sharma.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Team Rivalry vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL:

Credit: Mint

The Supergiants etched a memorable last ball victory against the RCB at their home ground, the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where Gautam Gambhir from the Supergiants side, appeared to shush the Chinnaswamy crowd. Tensions peaked when Naveen-ul-Haq clashed with Virat Kohli in the next matchup between the two, leading to a heated exchange involving Gambhir. However, the dynamics have shifted in this Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) rivalry, as Kohli and Naveen reconciled during the 2023 World Cup, and Gambhir moved on to coach Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). With these changes, the fiery rivalry has lost some intensity, though the historic clashes between the two players remain iconic.

Conclusion:

The Lucknow Super Giants 2023 was a great team with a balance of both, experience and youth. They also had a decent finish in the league, and only a defeat in the eliminator against the Mumbai Indians could send them out of the tournament. The only thing missing in their team is an X-factor who could change the game from any position. They invested in Devdutt Padikkal because he suits that profile well and can solidify the team’s middle order. Also the addition of Shivam Mavi’s exceptional pace adds strength to the team fast bowling lineup.

Now tha you have read about the Lucknow Supergiants IPL team, here are some more article we recommend reading:

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