IPL 2024: Where did Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) campaign go wrong this season. What went wrong for LSG in IPL 2024. Let's have a look back at their journey.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had a great inception to their IPL story, reaching playoffs in each of their first two seasons. The KL Rahul-led side just about missed out on reaching the final in both 2022 and 2023 seasons. But, they made a great impact in the league phase where they finished third on the points table each time.
With a great bowling attack coupled with experienced overseas stars at their disposal, LSG was expected to continue churning out more of such performances in 2024 as well. But things didn’t quite go well for them as the Super Giants bowed out from the tournament despite winning their last game against Mumbai Indians (MI).
The Lucknow-based franchise eventually finished with seven wins and as many losses. A poor NRR (-0.667) meant they could end the league stage as high as the sixth position.
Here are the reasons why a solid on-paper team couldn’t have a great run in the league.
Inconsistency from the top-order
Like the previous two seasons, LSG skipper KL Rahul was once again prolific for the team at the top of the order. With the help of four fifty-plus scores, he was able to amass 520 runs in 14 innings at a middling strike rate of 136.13.
Expectedly, Rahul ended up being the team’s leading run-getter for the season. But it was not prolific enough to see his side through to the playoffs. This is because he didn’t get enough support from the rest of the top-order.
The experienced Quinton de Kock failed big time this season, scoring just 250 runs in the tourney from 11 games. He did score three half-centuries but impactful knocks from his bat were very few.
Likewise, much was expected from Devdutt Padikkal when LSG traded the batter ahead of the season. However, this move proved to be disastrous as the left-hander failed to shine in any of the seven knocks he played throughout the season. With two ducks and a low strike rate of 71, Padikkal made only 38 runs.
Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni: Sole silver-lining in the middle-order
With batters like de Kock and Padikkal failing continuously at the top-order, LSG had to try out all-rounder Marcus Stoinis at No.3, leaving their middle-order weak. Similar to KL Rahul at the top, LSG were overly dependent on Nicholas Pooran in the middle-order.
The left-hander from West Indies didn’t disappoint as he arguably had his best IPL season yet, scoring 499 runs at a high SR of 178. He along with youngster Ayush Badoni were the ones who kept LSG’s run-scoring up in the middle-phases of most matches.
The 24-year-old scored 235 runs in 12 innings with two half-centuries at a strike-rate of just over 137. Time and again, these two bailed out LSG from trouble while experienced India batter Deepak Hooda struggled big time. The latter could manage just 145 runs in nine matches. Better returns from him could have helped LSG’s cause.
Mohsin Khan and Naveen Ul Haq: Exceptions in a struggling bowling attack
As already mentioned, LSG had a decent bowling unit comprising some talented young & experienced bowlers. Considering the track at their home-ground is usually slow, they had their bowling sorted. Spinners Krunal Pandya (6 wickets) and Ravi Bishnoi (10 wickets) were coupled with overseas pacers Shamar Joseph & Matt Henry in their ranks.
But sadly, none of them could churn out match-winning bowling performances in the tourney. The team had to mostly rely upon pacers Mohsin Khan and Naveen Ul Haq to get them breakthroughs, especially in the powerplays. Though they proved to be on the expensive side, the duo picked 24 wickets between them.
LSG lost the plot in the middle
After gaining four wins in the first-half of the season, LSG had a bright chance of reaching the top four. They did begin well in the second half, clinching an away game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and winning at home against Mumbai. But losing three on the trot, especially the big losses against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 10 wickets and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 98 runs, dented their momentum and took a toll on their NRR.
This largely reflects on how the team was led and puts a question mark on their skipper KL Rahul. Some of his decision making, including not playing batter Kyle Mayers despite poor performances by the top-order, were quite bizarre. Overall, Rahul didn’t have a great time as a skipper, and he failed to instill confidence in a team full of potential, at least on paper.