IPL 2023: Retained Players list for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
KL Rahul to lead as we look at the retained players best 11 for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for IPL 2023.
The 2022 debutants, Lucknow Super Giants had a good IPL 2022 where they finished third in the points table, and lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator. With KL Rahul at the helm, one can consider this to be a successful affair given how he performed as a captain for Punjab Kings.
But even with good success, Lucknow were surprising with their retentions. They let go of 7 players, and retained only 15 players ahead of the IPL 2023 Auction; the third-lowest among all teams. However, the good thing is that out of the released 7 players, they let go of 4 overseas players.
Overall, of the 15 retained players, Lucknow retained 3 batters, 1 wicket-keeper, 6 all-rounders, 4 pacers, and 1 spinner. KL Rahul shall continue to lead for the second year as no changes are expected on these lines. So, here’s the list of the full retained squad and players for Lucknow Super Giants for IPL 2023.
IPL 2023 – Lucknow Retained Players Details:
Ayush Badoni, KL Rahul (C), Manan Vohra, Quinton de Kock (o), Deepak Hooda, Karan Sharma, Krishnappa Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kyle Mayers (o), Marcus Stoinis (o), Avesh Khan, Mark Wood (o), Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan & Ravi Bishnoi
Total Players Retained: 15 // Purse Remaining: INR 23.35 Crores
Analyzing the squad, Lucknow are good in the bowling and all-rounder departments, but are feeble in the batting and wicket-keeping areas. What they need is more good batters and Indian wicket-keepers. With INR 23.35 available with them, Lucknow have good money to invest in 4-5 good players.
Coming to the released players, Lucknow let go of 7 players including 4 overseas players. Their released players strategy seems on point as even the likes of Manish Pandey, Shahbaz Nadeem, etc., don’t look lethal anymore in the T20 format.
So, here’s the official released players list for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for IPL 2023.
IPL 2023 – Lucknow Released Players Details:
Andrew Tye (o), Ankit Singh Rajpoot, Dushmanta Chameera (o), Evin Lewis (o), Jason Holder (o), Manish Pandey & Shahbaz Nadeem
Talking about the first-choice playing 11 for Lucknow based on retained players, the playing 11 seems almost the same as that played in 2022; except for a couple of changes. With Jason Holder and Dusmantha Chameera not there, Mark Wood, their original first-choice pacer is a better replacement. Whereas in place of Evin Lewis, the team currently has Kyle Mayers, which isn’t a bad option either.
IPL 2023 – Lucknow Super Giants Best Playing 11 from Retained Players:
KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Deepak Hooda, Kyle Mayers, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Mark Wood & Avesh Khan
With INR 23.35 crores available with them, Lucknow may look for replacement options for two players. The likes of Kyle Mayers and Ayush Badoni aren’t strong players, and they can certainly get better options in the Auction. Meanwhile, the rest 9 seem sorted to start for their first-choice playing 11.
Thanks for reading! What’s your take on the Lucknow Super Giants player retention list for IPL 2023? Please email your thoughts to cric8fanatic@gmail.com
ALSO READ: IPL 2023: Retained Players Best Playing 11 for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
