The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were dealt with a massive blow as their skipper and ace batter KL Rahul has been ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 following a leg injury.
KL Rahul had sustained this injury while fielding in the game versus Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The star Indian batter has confirmed that he will be undergoing a thigh surgery and has also ruled himself out of the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final, which will be taking place against Australia, starting from 7th June 2023.
Lucknow will have to now find an alternative opening batter along side Kyle Mayers. KL Rahul has been one of the most consistent batters in the IPL and his absence will be a huge void to fill up.
In this article, we take a look at 3 players who can replace KL Rahul in the opening slot of Lucknow Super Giants:
1. Marcus Stoinis
One of the most explosive batters in IPL, Marcus Stoinis could form a lethal opening pair along side Kyle Mayers. Stoinis is an attacking player and his presence at the top could be quite beneficial for the Lucknow side.
In the game versus Punjab Kings (PBKS) when LSG posted a mammoth total of 257 runs, Marcus Stoinis had gone all guns blazing and had mustered 72 runs in just 40 balls.
2. Quinton De Kock
The South African wicket-keeper batter had scored 508 runs in 15 matches in IPL 2022 and had finished 3rd in the Orange Cap list. He has been a terrific force to reckon with in the LSG side and its quite unfortunate that he hasn’t gotten to play in IPL 2023.
As Kyle Mayers has grabbed on to is opportunities with both hands, Quinton hasn’t played a single game in IPL 2023 so far. If given a chance, the 30-year-old cricketer would be looking to get some runs under his belt in this edition of the IPL.
3. Ayush Badoni
This could be a bold call but LSG might as well try the young and dynamic batter Ayush Badoni up front. Badoni has been a good batter in the ranks of LSG and has batter with a lot of maturity and composure.
Badoni and Mayers could be a good right-hand left-hand combination and they would be players with opposing mentalities. In 10 matches so far in IPL 2023, Ayush Badoni has amassed 191 runs.
Also read: 5 Lessons from the LSG vs RCB Confrontation: The Importance of Sportsmanship and Respect in Cricket
