Did the Lucknow Super Giants Overpay for Pant and Pooran?

New Delhi, May 20 (NationPress) Former coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad, Tom Moody, has expressed that the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fell short in their auction strategy last year. They spent a staggering Rs 48 crore on just two players - captain Rishabh Pant (Rs 27 crore) and Nicholas Pooran (Rs 21 crore) - leaving them with minimal resources to invest in high-quality bowlers.

A crushing six-wicket loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad dashed their dreams of playoff qualification for the second consecutive season since joining the tournament in 2022.

“The heavy spending on Rishabh Pant and Nicholas Pooran severely limits the ability to create a robust bowling unit. With the available funds, it’s challenging to compete effectively during the auction,” Moody stated on ESPNcricinfo's Time Out.

“Ideally, having Pooran, (David) Miller, (Mitchell) Marsh, and Pant is beneficial, but it’s vital to have a competent bowling lineup. You need bowlers who can deliver impactful performances in powerplays, adapt during middle overs, and execute crucial overs under pressure. Currently, I don't think they possess these capabilities.”

This season, LSG faced significant challenges with their pace attack, as Mohsin Khan was sidelined for the entire tournament, and Mayank Yadav spent most of it injured. Both Avesh Khan and Akash Deep encountered fitness issues, affecting their performance. Meanwhile, Shardul Thakur, who replaced Mohsin, began well but lost momentum as the season progressed.

Abhinav Mukund concurred with Moody's views, suggesting that LSG may have let emotions guide their decisions, especially regarding the retention of Mayank and Ravi Bishnoi.

“Avesh is a positive inclusion, but Akash has played only a handful of IPL games and is primarily recognized for his red-ball bowling. Moreover, retaining Mayank Yadav can be an emotional decision for teams. They often feel the need to keep players they believe in, like Bishnoi,” Abhinav noted.

Despite the overall disappointing bowling display, Digvesh Rathi stood out for LSG. He was the only bowler to participate in all 12 matches, taking 14 wickets at an economy rate of 8.18.

“They've been fortunate to have two players who have excelled unexpectedly. One is Ayush Badoni, who had a commendable season, and the other is Digvesh Rathi, who has performed exceptionally well for just [INR] 30 lakh. Additionally, they've invested in another bowler, Prince Yadav, for the same amount, who has also shown promise,” Abhinav added.

Although Bishnoi was expected to be a regular in LSG’s starting XI, he did not meet the anticipated performance levels. He played in 11 matches, taking nine wickets at an economy rate of 10.83.

“He has become too predictable, lacking variations apart from the googly. He needs to work on his pace adjustments and learn how to navigate through challenging overs when he is being targeted,” Abhinav concluded.