KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock are biggest strengths of Lucknow Super Giants: Aaron Finch

With the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League being just days away, excitement regarding the cash-rich tournament has been scaling newer heights with every passing day. With the teams setting up their pre-tournament assemblies and formulating their plans to be carried forward as the tournament commences, experts and fans too can be seen stating their views regarding the tournament and creating strategies for their favourite teams. Recently, former Australian skipper and noted IPL veteran Aaron Finch joined the coterie as he could be seen analysing Lucknow Super Giants' squad in a pre-tournament show with official TV broadcasters Star Sports.

Finch heaped praises on Lucknow's formidable opening pair of KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock and said that going ahead with their campaign, the duo's performance would determine a lot for the franchise. He further said both Rahul and de Kock perfectly complement each other with the different playing styles they bring to the table. He thus believes that both players come in with their own sets of strengths and weaknesses which, when playing together, get nullified by that of each other.

He also said that the team has a good overall structure with the likes of Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis in the middle order, followed by a handy allround option in Krunal Pandya.

“The big strength of the Lucknow Super Giants is their opening combination, KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock. They complement each other so well. They are very different players, and their strengths and weaknesses offset each other. So, I think if they are going to have a big season. I think the home ground advantage for the Lucknow Super Giants this year, although their wicket has been a little unpredictable at times, they’ve got a class opening combination in KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock, their middle order power of Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, and they’ve got a lot of bowling options, Krunal Pandya with the ball, who can also be versatile with the bat. So, I think they have got a lot of options to be able to exploit whatever the wicket produces", Finch was quoted as saying.

Not only this, but Finch also predicted who could be the X-factor for LSG. He said that while Nicholas Pooran will be one player to watch out for, it is Deepak Hooda who could play the role of an X-factor for the team. He cited Hooda's aggressive style of cricket and said that the allrounder has so far been able to leave a mark with his firebrand batting style and has well managed the responsibilities at no.3. 

“Player to watch out for, for Lucknow, will be Nicholas Pooran. They’ve spent a lot of money to get him in the auction. He wasn’t at his best last season, but we know how destructive he can be. He’s someone who strikes it at such a high strike rate, particularly early in his innings. So, for me, he is the player to watch out for. The X-factor for me this season for Lucknow I see being 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 of time, while being aggressive, that will set up that middle and lower order to be at their destructive best," Finch said.

Finch pointed out LSG's weak points and predicted their position on the points table

Aaron Finch also threw light on the downside of LSG and pointed out their potential weak spots. He said that Lucknow's death bowling could cause them some trouble as he thought it was difficult to put together a quality combination to deliver the final four overs of a game. 

“I see a potential weakness in the Lucknow Super Giants, being their death bowling. I think they’ve got a lot of options throughout the middle, they’ve got some good all-rounders. But I think, when you look at the combinations, finding good quality four overs of death bowling will be a real challenge for them,” opined Finch.

He finally gave a prediction regarding where the team could possibly finish in the 10-team tournament. After a holistic SWOT analysis of the KL-Rahul-led franchise, Finch concluded that the team could get through to the knockout stage provided they attend to their death bowling woes. He otherwise predicted a fifth-position finish for Super Giants.

“My season performance prediction, for the Lucknow Super Giants is they will finish around fifth. Could sneak into the finals, I’m just a little worried about their death bowling under pressure. But all in all, they are a very dangerous side with a lot of match winners throughout,” predicted Finch.

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