Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) decided they needed a change in ‘intent.’ That’s why they decided to release their captain, KL Rahul. The move didn’t seem bad, especially considering how Rahul had a falling out with owner Sanjiv Goenka. Irrespective of how things were, replacing Rahul wasn’t going to be easy, but LSG managed to do that in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction. In fact, some might say they got an upgrade. They might have spent Rs 27 crore on Rishabh Pant, but he can easily prove to be worth every single penny spent on him. It’s just Pant, but LSG might have overall upgraded their team and can field the perfect playing XI.
Pooran, Markram, Marsh—LSG’s top 3 for IPL 2025
To replace KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock, LSG got Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram. Marsh has spent the majority of his T20I career at 3, but can easily move up to open. He’s got 15-year experience in the IPL and is enjoying the best period of his cricketing career. Markram hasn’t been able to work things out in IPL but he’s one of the most gifted batters out there. Captaincy didn’t work for him with the Sunrisers Hyderabad but a switch could help him get back to his best. Both also offer handy bowling. Marsh’s medium-pace might be used early on especially in the powerplay while Markram can spin the ball in venues like the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Let’s come to LSG’s top retention and the best T20 batter in the world right now, Nicholas Pooran. The southpaw has been a different batter since he came to Lucknow in 2023. He averages nearly 43 with a strike rate of 176 in the last two IPL seasons. He’s been doing this at 4/5, but his best position is 3, where he’ll likely bat in IPL 2025. We might just see the best of Nicky P. in the coming months.
Latest on IPL 2025
Rishabh Pant packed middle order, David Miller to finish
Pooran can keep wickets and lead, but LSG will hand both of these responsibilities to Rishabh Pant. In line to become India’s next Test captain, it’s time for Pant to shine in Lucknow. He’ll continue to bat with the same freedom he did at Delhi Capitals, and he’s at that age where he’ll start peaking as well. We know he can flip the game on its head anytime, and we expect him to do that at Ekana.
Ayush Badoni, David Miller, and Abdul Samad will follow Pant. All three can act as finishers, but Badoni isn’t really fit for that role. In fact, he enjoys batting up the order. So, he’ll come after Pant while Miller and Samad will be at 6 and 7. The South African has shown he can whack spin as well, and Samad is known for his short but effective cameos. They’ll be backed up by Shahbaz Ahmed, who can be promoted as well in case wickets fall in quick succession, and he can shield Miller and Samad.
Speed, left-arm & wrist spin
All bases for bowling are covered for LSG. They have the speed of Mayank Yadav, who’ll be the middle-overs enforcer. Mohsin Khan isn’t slow either and offers services in both the powerplay and death. On top of that, he’s a left-armer. These are lethal attributes that you don’t find often. If bowling first, one of Avesh Khan or Akash Deep can be added to the XI and can be later substituted with an impact player. The pace in all three phases will be covered by these bowlers.
Coming to spin, Shahbaz Ahmed and Ravi Bishnoi should be enough, but on spinning surfaces, M. Siddharth can be added to the team as well. Although Shahbaz and Siddharth might be similar as left-arm orthodox spinners, they bowl in different phases, and Bishnoi will be their leg-spinning trump card in the middle overs.
LSG’s best playing XI for IPL 2025
1. Mitchell Marsh✈️
2. Aiden Markram✈️
3. Nicholas Pooran✈️
4. Rishabh Pant (c & wk)
5. Ayush Badoni
6. David Miller✈️
7. Abdul Samad
8. Shahbaz Ahmed
9. Mohsin Khan
10. Ravi Bishnoi
11. Mayank Yadav
Impact Player: Avesh Khan/Akash Deep/M. Siddharth
Remaining Squad: Aryan Juyal (wk), Himmat Singh, Digvesh Singh, Akash Singh, Shamar Joseph✈️, Prince Yadav, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Arshin Kulkarni, Matthew Breetzke✈️(wk).
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