Captain of Lucknow IPL Team in the IPL 2022: The Lucknow based new IPL franchise has been grabbing the headlines since it won the bid for a whopping INR 7090 Crores. The RPSG Group placed the highest ever bid for the IPL Franchise to get the operational rights of the Lucknow based Indian Premier League team.
Following its highest bid, Lucknow roped in Andy Flower as team head coach for the IPL 2022. Flower was associated with the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL 2021, however, he parted ways with the franchise ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction.
Further, the RPSG Group-owned IPL franchise played a masterstroke to appoint two times IPL winning skipper Gautam Gambhir as the mentor of the team for the coming season.
The franchise is expected to reveal a couple of other big developments in the month of January itself. One of which could be the announcement of the three players who will join the team ahead of the IPL 2022 Mega Auction, under the special draft picks.
As per the rule formed by the BCCI, the new teams can buy three players from the released player list ahead of the IPL 2022 Mega Auction.
However, amongst all the big updates and developments, the biggest and the most valuable will be the selection of the skipper of Lucknow. The franchise will be keen on picking an impeccable leader for the team, who can create a positive environment and motivate the boys in all circumstances.
Someone, who has the prowess to bring the best out of the resources available and make most of the acquired asset in the IPL 2022 Mega Auction.
Here in this article, we will take a look at the probable players who can be the captain of the Lucknow IPL team in the IPL 2022.
Captain of Lucknow IPL Team in the IPL 2022:
KL Rahul:
The Indian opener batsman is arguably the most likely choice to be the skipper of Lucknow based IPL team. Even before the IPL 2022 retentions, the sources indicated Rahul’s possible ties with Lucknow.
KL Rahul, a potent batsman, can don several hats during the hour of need. In recent times, Rahul has been sensational with his flamboyant batting skills.
The cricketer has been amongst the pile of runs in the last few seasons of the Indian Premier League. Even outside the IPL, KL has been a remarkable cricketer. His batting brilliance has fetched him a permanent place in India’s all three formats.
Moreover, the BCCI recently boosted Rahul as the vice-captain of India in the T20Is which speaks volumes of KL Rahul’s brilliance.
Besides his batting skills, Rahul is also a mature leader. He is certainly shaping himself into a formidable cricketer who can be an asset for a team in every aspect.
Though his last two IPL stints with Punjab Kings (PBKS) didn’t bring him fruitful results, the learnings from those two seasons would further mould his brain to be a successful skipper in the future.
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Shreyas Iyer:
If KL Rahul isn’t in Lucknow’s top priority, former Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Shreyas Iyer would be a good choice. Iyer was released by Delhi Capitals (DC) during the recent player retention process. The franchise opted to free Shreyas Iyer and picked Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Anrich Nortje and Prithvi Shaw as their top four retentions.
Iyer is an astute skipper with the ability to jell in with each player in the team. Iyer led young Delhi Capitals (DC) in the three consecutive seasons since IPL 2018 and changed the fortunes of the team.
Under his leadership, DC reached the maiden IPL final in the IPL 2020 which they eventually lost against the experience of Mumbai Indians.
Moreover, Iyer’s batting exploits are secret to none. He has been contributing to the team’s success consistently and more often than not he rescues his side from the crunch situations.
Iyer’s inner spark to lead the team and take it to the winning ways has fetched good results which certainly makes him a leader of the future. Many legendary cricketers have termed Shreyas Iyer to be the skipper of team India in the coming future.
Shikhar Dhawan:
Experienced batsman Shikhar Dhawan would be another fine choice for the Lucknow IPL team to pick the leader. Dhawan was also released by Delhi Capitals (DC) after the IPL 2021.
The seasoned campaigner has kept his bat up and running for the longest time in the IPL. The southpaw has scored over 400 runs in every IPL season he featured after 2015. Moreover, his recent two IPL seasons have been extremely rewarding and stunning.
Dhawan scored over 600 runs in IPL 2020 and mustered over 580 runs in the recently concluded IPL 2021. He worked extremely hard on his T20 batting and the results have surprised everyone, even to him as well.
Moreover, Dhawan has briefly captained Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2013 & 2014. Back in 2013, which was SRH’s debut season, Dhawan led the team to its maiden playoffs.
Shikhar Dhawan recently took charge of team India in its tour of Sri Lanka. Under his leadership, India thrashed Sri Lanka by 2-1 and won the series.
The left-handed opening batsman will be a tremendous choice as the captain of the team. Lucknow would be keen to have his services in the IPL 2022.
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