The big reason I wanted to sign for LSG was to help build something from scratch: Marcus Stoinis

Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis said he signed for Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League 2022 to help the new franchise build from scratch. He also spoke about how former Australia great Shane Warne developed a culture with Rajasthan Royals back in their initial days.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), in their debut season in the Indian Premier League (IPL), finished fourth in the playoffs after losing to Royal Challengers (RCB) in the eliminator, and third in the league with nine wins out of 14 games. Apart from skipper KL Rahul, Stoinis alongside leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi were picked by the new IPL franchise before the 2022 mega auction. The all-rounder, however, had a quiet outing, scoring only 156 runs and picking up four wickets in 11 matches.

Have a blank canvas to work with – Marcus Stoinis on signing for LSG

Stoinis said that building the team alongside skipper KL Rahul and owner Sanjiv Goenka is something he could look back on in 10 to 15 years. The Australian also spoke about how in his initial days of IPL, he was just happy to be in the tournament. He added that building bonds and relationships over the years with players have helped him. Stoinis first featured in the IPL in 2015 with Delhi Daredevils (known as Delhi Capitals today), and later went on to play for Kings XI Punjab (known as Punjab Kings today), Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Capitals.

“The big reason I wanted to sign for Lucknow was to help build something from scratch. Have a blank canvas to work with, in the company of someone like KL Rahul and Sanjeev to build something that you can look back on in 10-15 years,” spoke Stoinis to Cricbuzz. “I think back to Warnie and how he started with Rajasthan and what he did there, and how he’s still an integral part of that team and how he helped build that culture.”

“When I first went to the IPL, 6-7 years ago, I was pretty much this young kid who was happy to be there, happy to do whatever was needed, almost on training camp every year because I wasn’t playing that much cricket,” Stoinis added. Speaking about building relationships with players, he said, “I definitely have noticed as I’ve gone back, now that I’m a bit older and playing a different role in the IPL, those relationships have helped.”