LSG have finished in third place in the two editions of the IPL since they entered the competition in 2022. They were knocked out at the Eliminator by Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Last year, LSG had the services of Gautam Gambhir as their team mentor, but he has returned to Kolkata Knight Riders for the upcoming season. KL Rahul will return to captain the side after he was ruled out halfway through the competition last time out, there were rumours that he may leave the team for 2024 but those were publically denied by LSG.

Lucknow Super Giants IPL 2024 auction preview: Trades, full squad, purse & slots remaining

Trades

Lucknow have traded Avesh Khan – who played nine matches last season and took eight wickets – with Devdutt Padikkal of Bangalore. Avesh was bought by LSG in the 2022 mega-auction for INR 10 crore, while Padikkal cost RCB INR 7.75 crore. LSG have also traded Romario Shepherd to Mumbai Indians in exchange for a fee of INR 50 lakhs.

Players released

Jaydev Unadkat, Daniel Sams, Manan Vohra, Swapnil Singh, Karan Sharma, Karun Nair, Arpit Guleria, Suyash Shedge.

Squad before auction

KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock, Devdutt Padikkal, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Kyle Mayers, Ravi Bishnoi, Krunal Pandya, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mark Wood, Mohsin Khan, Yudhvir Singh, Ayush Badoni, Prerak Mankad, Yash Thakur, Mayank Yadav, Devdutt Padikkal.

Purse remaining (in INR)

13.15 crore

Slots remaining

Six + Two overseas

Lucknow Super Giants IPL 2024 auction preview: Strengths

A consistent captain

Despite Rahul’s injury forcing him out of the competition after nine matches last year, he had already amassed 274 runs by then. That followed his standout season in 2022 where he finished as the second-leading run-scorer with two centuries. That, along with his experience and leadership credentials, were what alarmed fans when rumours of his potential franchise swap circulated in the trading window. Rahul leading from the front will be crucial to LSG’s chances of making it through to the final on the third time of asking this season.

Strong player core

LSG have kept a consistent unit ahead of the auction this year and have the least slots available of all sides. They have stuck to their tried and tested players who have IPL and international pedigree in de Kock, Stoinis, Wood, Naveen and co., as well as consistent Indian performers like Bishnoi, Krunal and Hooda.

Lucknow Super Giants IPL 2024 auction preview: Weaknesses

Unbalanced squad

The squad currently is very heavy on all-rounders with few specialist batters. Given de Kock’s solid place in the batting lineup, LSG may want to look at some home grown specialist batters to balance out the side in the auction. They can also do with picking up another specialist spinner. Without one they could find themselves over-reliant on Bishnoi.

More pacers needed

The departures of Avesh and Unadkat also mean LSG need to find another pacer to back up Wood and Naveen. Given the franchise’s limited remaining budget, finding an economical buy rather than a big name to make up the pace arsenal will be crucial.

Lucknow Super Giants IPL 2024 auction preview: Potential first XI

Potential first XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), KL Rahul (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Krunal Pandya, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mark Wood.

Lucknow Super Giants IPL 2024 auction preview: Players to target

Quicks: LSG can target one of the several high-profile pacers up for grabs in the auction, including Josh Hazlewood, Lockie Ferguson and Mitchell Starc. They can also go for rising South Africa star Gerald Coetzee. However, they will have to balance this with their limited purse.

Openers: LSG also need some specialists batters to strengthen their middle order. Daryl Mitchell is on the auction list and would be a good option, although they may need to focus on Indian talent given their already high number of overseas players.