After playing 7 matches, the Lucknow Super Giants find themselves in a pretty decent position — sitting right in the middle of the points table. With 4 wins from 7 games, LSG currently hold the 5th spot and are very much in the playoff race.
Hits
One of the biggest positives for Lucknow this season has been Nicholas Pooran, who was retained by the franchise for a whopping amount of Rs 21 crore. He has certainly justified his price tag, smashing 357 runs at an average of 59.50 and a staggering strike rate of 208.77. Pooran has been the backbone of the LSG batting line-up.
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Another big plus has been Mitchell Marsh, who has given solid support to Pooran. Marsh has scored 295 runs at an average of 49.16 and a strike rate of 171.51. Impressively, he has hit four fifties this season in just six matches — a significant leap considering he had only three IPL fifties before this season.
Who’s that IPL player?
On the bowling front, uncapped player Digvesh Rathi has emerged as a bright spot. He has picked up 9 wickets at an average of 23.11 and an impressive economy of 7.42. Shardul Thakur has also chipped in with 11 wickets at an average of 24.90, though he has been slightly expensive with an economy of 10.96. He currently sits third on the Purple Cap leaderboard.
Misses
Rishabh Pant, who was LSG’s most expensive signing at Rs 27 crore, has struggled to make an impact this season. He has managed just 103 runs at an average of 17.17 and a strike rate of 104 — numbers that include a scratchy 63 against CSK where he never really looked in rhythm.
Apart from Pant, the rest of LSG’s middle order is yet to click. Players like David Miller and Ayush Badoni haven’t had much game time, and when they did, they couldn’t make it count.
Playoff Chances
LSG have a solid shot at making it to the top four if they maintain their current form. Winning 4 out of their remaining 7 matches should be enough to secure a playoff berth. But the bigger question remains — can they go beyond that and actually lift the trophy this time?
