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IPL 2024: A Comprehensive Analysis Of The Lucknow Super Giants For The New IPL Season

By Nikhil Kalro

22 Mar 2024

Nikhil Kalro 22 Mar 2024

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LSG, the costliest franchise in IPL, aims for a third straight playoff in 2024.
KL Rahul, recovered from injury, is expected to boost the team's chances.
LSG had a relatively quiet auction as the majority of the squad filled ahead.

LSG's Marcus Stoinis (R) and teammate Krunal Pandya talk during an IPL 2023 match. (Getty Images)

Lucknow Super Giants, the costliest franchise in IPL history, sets sights on a third straight playoff berth and beyond at IPL 2024.

The Squad
The History
The Schedule

Two seasons, two playoffs, two losses in the Eliminator. Into their third season, Lucknow Super Giants will be looking to go a step further, possibly two. LSG hasn’t been short of firepower, but over the first two seasons, they’ve been hampered by injuries to key personnel at different times.

They lost KL Rahul midway through the group stages. This completely affected their batting dynamics and led to a breakdown. By the time they reached the playoffs, they were running on fumes. Rahul is fit and ready to go this time, and they’d be dearly hoping injuries don’t play a part this time around.

The Squad

They had a relatively quiet auction as compared to the others. This was largely because most bases seemed covered. That said, there are a few concerns.

Rahul is coming off a quadricep injury that forced his non-participation in four of the five Tests against England at home in February-March. It’s likely he could feature only as a batter to begin with, which means Nicholas Pooran or Quinton de Kock will keep wickets.

Injury aside, the other question they need to find answers to is where Rahul bats. He aspires to make India’s T20 World Cup squad. But there’s no spot in the top order, a position Rahul fancies in the IPL. Will he drop down to try and play the same role he seems himself playing for India?

It could be a possibility, given LSG have signed Karnataka’s Devdutt Padikkal through a pre-season trade with Rajasthan Royals. Traditionally an opener, Padikkal struggled in the middle order at Royals. Should Rahul bat in the middle, Padikkal could return to the spot where he has had the most success.

On the unavailability front, LSG won’t have England’s David Willey in the bowling attack as he has pulled out following a long season on the road at the ILT20 and PSL. This could potentially mean the unveiling of exciting West Indies quick Shamar Joseph, who was signed as a replacement for another England quick, Mark Wood.

Joseph helped bowl West Indies to their first Test win in Australia this century and brings with him race pace. Their pace attack also has young Shivam Mavi, an auction buy at INR 6.4 crore, along with the impressive uncapped Mohsin Khan and Afghanistan fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq.

Their pedigreed all-rounders lend plenty of flexibility. Marcus Stoinis and Krunal Pandya can bat anywhere in the top six, while K Gowtham can bowl across different phases of a T20 innings.

The History

LSG’s history is rather short, having come into the IPL fold in 2022 when RP Sanjiv Goenka, chairman of RPSG Group, bid a record sum of INR 7090 crores (USD 940 million) to acquire the Lucknow franchise.

The group had a taste of the IPL earlier when they operated the Pune franchise, which they named Rising Pune Supergiants, for a two-year period when Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were banned from the tournament.

The Supergiants came last in their first season (2016) but turned around their fortunes to finish runners-up in 2017 when Mumbai Indians pipped them in a thriller. That season, they also had to contend with a severe public backlash after replacing MS Dhoni with Steven Smith as captain. Their run to the finals somewhat helped steer clear of the bad press.

In 2022, LSG handed the captaincy to KL Rahul, and the franchise began with a playoffs finish, where they lost in the Eliminator to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. They finished with nine wins in the group stages and were third on the table, with a net run rate separating them from second-placed Rajasthan Royals.

In 2023, they made their second straight playoff appearance after finishing fourth in the group stage. They would lose in the Eliminator yet again, this time to Mumbai Indians.

Long before they built the squad, the franchise announced a major shake-up. Head coach Andy Flower left the franchise and joined RCB, while mentor Gautam Gambhir rejoined KKR.

They have signed Justin Langer as head coach. He comes in with an enviable track record, having helped Perth Scorchers win three Big Bash League titles. Langer also coached Australia to T20 World Cup glory in 2021. Adam Voges, the former Australia batter, and Lance Klusener, the former South Africa all-rounder, will assist Langer.

The Schedule

LSG open their campaign on March 24, the third day of the season, in an away fixture against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur. They have a five-day gap to head home to play Punjab Kings on March 30.

Then, on April 2, they play Royal Challengers Bengaluru away before returning home to play Gujarat Titans. LSG play only four games, the second-least, in the first 17 days of the tournament.

The schedule for the remainder of the season is awaited. The BCCI is working in consultation with the Indian government to facilitate the smooth running of the tournament, which clashes with the country’s federal elections.

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