IPL 2022: Predicting first-choice overseas players of Lucknow Super Giants

One of the two new teams which have been included in the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League  (IPL) is Lucknow Super Giants. The RPSG group won the bid to own this franchise for a hefty amount of INR 7090 crores. The management announced Andy Flower as their head coach and Gautam Gambhir as their mentor.

LSG drafted KL Rahul, Marcus Stoinis and Ravi Bishnoi prior to the auction and the management did well to pull in some great players to their side. The Super Giants have picked 21 players in the auction and seven of them are foreigners.

The overseas options that the team has are Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Jason Holder, Dushmantha Chameera, Mark Wood, Kyle Mayers and Evin Lewis. However, it is well known that a team is allowed to play only four overseas players in a match.

Here are four first-choice overseas players of Lucknow Super Giants:

1. Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock was picked in the auction for INR 6.25 crore which can definitely be said as a steal deal. The left-handed batter player comes with a lot of experience and batting techniques along with his keeping skills. He was in the Mumbai Indians squad for the last three years and his valuable contributions aided their team to win two titles.

This Proteas player has 2256 runs in 77 IPL matches with a strike rate of 130.93. He has taken 53 catches and has stumped 14 batters out in his keeping role. It is almost certain that Quinton will open the inning with his captain KL Rahul.

This duo could be lethal at the top and could destruct any bowling line-up if they are in their full swing. Apart from his batting and keeping contributions, De Kock could be very useful to help Rahul in captaining the team in case of any difficult situations.

2. Marcus Stoinis

Marcus Stoinis was drafted for INR 9.2 crores by the Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the mega auction. This versatile all-rounder could be very explosive with the bat and is a handy medium-paced bowler too.

Stoinis has played 56 IPL matches and has hit 914 runs at a strike rate of 135.80. With the ball, he has taken 30 wickets with an average of 32.30. Though Stoinis did not have his best season last year for Delhi Capitals, he has been drafted for such a price for his exuberant form in the T20 World cup and Big bash League.

Apart from his form, he is a player who can win the matches in any situation and this ability has given him this privilege of retention. He will certainly be in the first XI of the squad.

3. Jason Holder

Jason Holder, the West Indian all-rounder, has been sensational in recent years. His performances in the previous season of IPL and T20 World Cup earned him a contract of INR 8.75 crore with Lucknow Super Giants.

From making a comeback into the IPL in 2020 after three years as a replacement for injured Mitchell Marsh in Sunrisers Hyderabad, Holder shined both with the bat and ball. In 2021, he grabbed 16 wickets in just a span of eight matches and he also hit 85 runs with a strike rate of 118.05.

The tall Barbadian looks in sublime touch at the moment as he also played a major role for West Indies against India in February. He will definitely be the first choice of KL Rahul and will be used as a key bowler and a hard-hitter lower down the order.

4. Dushmantha Chameera

Dushmantha Chameera, the Sri Lankan right-arm-fast bowler who can generate raw pace, is known for his well-disguised yorkers. He appeared in the auction for a base price of INR 50 lakhs and has been bought by Lucknow Super Giants for INR 2.0 crore after rigorous bidding war with the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Chameera is one of the very few Sri Lankan players who got picked in the 2022 auction. He does not have any prior IPL experience and if he gets an opportunity in the first playing XI, this will be his debut in this league.

There would be a good headache for the management to choose between Mark Wood and Chameera as the fast bowling option, but this Sri Lankan speedster looks to be in better form and will mostly make into the first XI.