Lucknow Super Giants: The cricket carnival is all set to begin from 31st March. The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 will see the Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings clashing with each other in the curtain-raiser at the Narendra Modi International Stadium on Friday (31st March). Much like all seasons, it promises to be another blockbuster season. The preparations are in full flow by the teams as they are sweating hard in the nets. It’ll be another opportunity for youngsters to make their name and introduce themselves at the global stage.
Aaron Finch picks Deepak Hooda as the X factor for Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2023
Lucknow Super Giants made their presence felt in their inaugural season last year. The KL Rahul-led side exhibited a staggering brand of cricket and was dominant for the majority phase of the tournament. They qualified for the playoffs with 9 wins from 14 league games but couldn’t go further ahead as they suffered a defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL 2023.
It’s fair to say that one of the main architects behind their dominance in the last season was Deepak Hooda. The all-rounder batted staggeringly well in the tournament as he played many brutal innings and powered his team to good totals. IPL 2022 was the best season for the right-hander as he piled up runs and also was decent with the ball.
Hooda scored 451 runs in the 15 games last season and his tally of runs also included 4 fifties as well. He batted with a strike rate of over 136 and often raised the tempo for his side. Apart from this he also chipped in with the ball and also took 1 wicket in the 4 overs he bowled in the league last season.
Lucknow would be hoping for a similar kind of performance from him this year as well. He batted down the order for the first few games last season but was later promoted to No.3 and he did wonders for the side at that position. It is expected that he will continue batting at the top this time as well.
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With just a couple of days remaining for the start of the season, former Australian skipper Aaron Finch has picked Deepak Hooda as the X factor for LSG. The cricketer-turned-commentator feels that the batter has adopted the No.3 slot perfectly and can bat for long periods.
Speaking on Know Your Team’ show on Star Sports, he said: “The X-factor for me this season for Lucknow I see is Deepak Hooda. He’s someone who has taken the responsibility of batting at number 3. He’s someone who strikes at a good strike rate, particularly in the first 10 balls. He continues to keep being aggressive. If he can bat for longer periods while being aggressive, that will set up that middle and lower order to be at their destructive best.”
Lucknow Super Giants will open their campaign against Delhi Capitals on 1st April at the Ekana Stadouk Stadium in Lucknow.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) squad for the IPL 2023
Lucknow Super Giants would be eyeing their first IPL title this season. They gave a combination of youth and seniors, which could be favourable for them. Here’s the LSG squad for IPL 2023:
KL Rahul (capt), Ayush Badoni, Karan Sharma, Manan Vohra, Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Krishnappa Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Kyle Mayers, Krunal Pandya, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Nicholas Pooran, Jaydev Unadkat, Yash Thakur, Romario Shepherd, Daniel Sams, Amit Mishra, Prerak Mankad, Swapnil Singh, Naveen-ul-Haq, Yudhvir Singh Charak.
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