IPL 2024 Auction: Five players Lucknow Super Giants can target, remaining purse and more

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have reached the playoffs in both their two seasons so far in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and a major reason behind the fabulous start to their life in the cash-rich T20 league is the excellent work done by them in the player auctions. Under the guidance of mentor Gautam Gambhir, LSG were always spot-on with their picks. This time they won’t have Gambhir on their table as he has decided to shift to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). That, however, shouldn’t be a major block as the franchise has brought in Justin Langer as the new head coach. So what would be their strategy? Before we get to the strategy, let’s take a look at their current squad and purse. LSG retained players: KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Prerak Mankad, Yudhvir Singh, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra, Naveen-ul-Haq LSG players traded in: Devdutt Padikkal LSG released players: Daniel Sams, Karun Nair, Jaydev Unadkat, Manan Vohra, Karan Sharma, Suryansh Shedge, Swapnil Singh, Arpit Guleria Purse left: Rs 13.5 crore Slots left: 6 (2 overseas) LSG Auction Strategy: No 3 batter was a problem for LSG last season and they solved that by trading in Devdutt Padikkal from Rajasthan Royals but allowing Avesh Khan to leave has weakened their pace bowling. Despite having Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur and Naveen-ul-Haq, LSG will need more fast bowlers, to have variety and squad strength to prepare for any contingency. Ideally, they will look for one Indian and one overseas fast bowler. We are going to talk about the players they can target later but with a budget of just Rs 13.5 crore, LSG are not expected to blow away their opponents in the race for the players they want. Apart from pacers, a finisher is something that they can add to their side. Deepak Hooda and Ayush Badoni are decent players but they should look to add more firepower in the lower order. Another target for them can be an overseas all-rounder to replace Marcus Stoinis if needed. Players LSG Can Target: Kulwant Khejroliya Shivam Mavi, Kartik Tyagi, Chetan Sakariya, there are a lot of young Indian pacers whom LSG can target in the auction but they probably don’t have a budget to match other teams. In such a case they could target Kulwant Khejroliya who was released by KKR last month. The left-arm pacer provides variety and good be a decent squad player. Yash Dayal Another left-arm pace bowler, Yash Dayal could also be on LSG’s wish list. The UP bowler has shown his quality while playing for Gujarat Titans (GT) and could also match the budget of LSG. [caption id=“attachment_12451552” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Yash Dayal had a tough time in IPL 2023 but he has shown he is a good enough pacer. BCCI image[/caption] Shahrukh Khan The former Punjab Kings (PBKS) scored his runs at a strike rate of 166 from lower order last season and can add the required firepower to LSG’s lower-order batting. Michael Bracewell The Kiwi all-rounder could attract interest from LSG as he is an overseas all-rounder who can lend balance to the squad. Bracewell is an off-spinner and LSG are short in that department, plus he can score runs at a brisk pace. Mujeeb Ur Rahman Talking about established spinners, Ravi Bishnoi is the only name in LSG squad and they may look to add Mujeeb Ur Rahman. The Afghan cricketer went unsold last season and could be available for a bargain price.