Every year the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction gives hopes to the fans supporting their respective franchises as they eagerly wait for some stellar additions in the squad which can help them in the regular season. This year was no different as the mini-auction held in Kochi on Friday saw some players spark off a bidding war, with some sold for massive amount and other who did not find their place in any franchise.
The Lucknow outfit made their second appearance in the auction this year after having relished a decent season in the previous edition of the lucrative tournament. However, the franchise was heavily reliant on their top-order to get the runs whereas the middle-order lacked the spark required to propel the side into scoring big and handing an advantage.
5. Krunal Pandya
Lucknow Super Giants’ ace allrounder Krunal Pandya is set to reach a massive milestone in the match against Chennai Super Kings on Monday. Krunal will be playing his 100th IPL game and joining an elite list of players.
CSK’s skipper and legendary player MS Dhoni sits at the top of this list as he has played the most IPL matches in the history of the cash-rich league. Dhoni has played 235 IPL matches and following him is the veteran and RCB wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik with 230 matches.
4. Marcus Stoinis
Marcus Stoinis has joined the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) squad to participate in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the franchise confirmed on Tuesday, March 28. The franchise took to social media to share a picture of the Australian all-rounder upon his arrival. The Super Giants captioned it.
Marcus Stoinis was picked up by the Lucknow Super Giants in the pre-auction draft ahead of IPL 2022. He had a pretty mediocre season last year by his lofty standards, scoring 156 runs in 11 matches and picking up only four wickets.
The 33-year-old will look to put up an improved performance this year and live up to his billing as LSG aim for their maiden IPL title.
3. Avesh Khan
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mentor, Gautam Gambhir named his “most important buy” on the first day of IPL Mega-Auction. It is none other than the young fiery pacer, Avesh Khan.
Avesh Khan became the highest-earning uncapped player ever at the IPL as the LSG made a staggering 10 crore bid for the pacer. After having Mark Wood in their ranks, LSG wanted to have a strong Indian bowler in their line-up. Avesh Khan is a bowler who can bowl upto 145 kmph on a regular basis, thus, he was an instant pick.
2. Nicholas Pooran
Lucknow Super Giants splashed the cash on Nicholas Pooran to enhance their chances of winning the 2023 Indian Premier League. The Super Giants, captained by KL Rahul, managed to make it to the play-offs last year, winning nine of their 14 games in their inaugural season.
They lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the eliminator, but had an impressive first campaign. Nicholas Pooran was the most expensive of their 10 new players, costing the franchise $1.95m. They also acquired the likes of Daniel Sams, Amit Mishra, and Romario Shepherd.
1.Kl Rahul
KL Rahul has been signed by the Lucknow IPL franchise for INR 17 crore (US$ 2.28 million approx.), making him the joint-highest-paid player in the IPL across seasons, along with Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Virat Kohli. Kohli was signed for the same amount by Royal Challengers in 2018, ahead of the last mega IPL auction.
Lucknow, one of the two new teams added to the IPL last October, will enter next month’s mega auction with INR 59 crore (US$ 7.93 million approx.) in their purse, after having also acquired the services of Australia allrounder Marcus Stoinis for INR 9.2 crore (US$ 1.24 million approx.) and uncapped Indian legspinner Ravi Bishnoi for INR 4 crore (US$ 0.54 million approx.). The difference in the amount paid for the players and the purse remaining is due to the IPL’s rules on minimum amount deducted from the purse for a certain number of players drafted in, irrelevant of how much was spent on the players