In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) made it to the postseason. However, they did not play at their best in the pivotal eliminator match against the Mumbai Indians (MI), falling short at the MA Chidambaram Stadium by 81 runs. LSG hopes to put their past disappointments behind them in 2024 and win the prized trophy for the first time.
Despite the fact that their captain, KL Rahul (who left the squad due to an injury) and his deputy, Krunal Pandya, were not performing well in the 2023 competition, the club would probably keep the key players on its roster. Some other non-performers could not be as lucky as the two senior players because their names could end up on their team’s release list.
The top three players that LSG may decide to cut before the 2024 season are as follows:
1. Romario Shepherd
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) released Romario Shepherd prior to the IPL 2023 auction, having seen his disastrous bowling display in the IPL 2022. At his base salary of INR 50 lakh, Shepherd joined LSG for the 2023 campaign. The 28-year-old’s squad only managed to give him one game during the competition.
He didn’t bowl an over in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Lucknow, and he returned to the pavilion a duck after his team scored a pitiful 122 runs. The Caribbean talent was not used by the Lucknow-based outlet in 2023, and in the following days, the team may not think twice about removing his name from its retention list.
Shepherd hasn’t demonstrated any exceptional play in his most recent games either. He participated in four Super50 Cup games for Guyana, scoring just 55 runs and taking seven wickets. His current form and average performance are sufficient to place him on the LSG released players list.
2. Jaydev Unadkat
LSG selected Jaydev Unadkat in the IPL 2023 auction for his base salary of INR 50 lakh. Given his extensive experience in both the lucrative league and domestic cricket, it was anticipated that he would have a significant influence with the ball during the season. The bowler demonstrated discipline with the ball prior to the 2023 auction, taking nine wickets in seven Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2022–2023 matches.
The veteran Indian player, though, was unable to perform at his peak in the competition. In his eight overs over his three matches for Lucknow, he conceded 92 runs. He bowled a three-over period and cost the Delhi Capitals (DC) 39 runs without taking any wickets in his debut match.
Following the game at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium between LSG and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the speedster was removed from the starting lineup. He finished with 0/27 numbers in his two overs during the pivotal match. Undakat’s inability to establish himself in the league on a regular basis may persuade the LSG team management that he is an untrustworthy addition to their bowling attack.
3. Deepak Hooda
During IPL 2023, Deepak Hooda was heavily criticized for his poor hitting performance. His job as a hitter was to support Lucknow’s middle order, but he was limited in what he could accomplish for the group. The 28-year-old scored just 84 runs at an incredibly low average of 7.63 in 12 games.
Hooda scored 451 runs in 15 games during the fifteenth IPL season after being purchased by Super Giants for INR 5.75 crore during the IPL 2022 auction. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2023–24, Hooda scored 179 runs for Rajasthan and looked respectable with the bat.
Even if LSG saw his excellent performance for Rajasthan, they might not be persuaded to keep him for the 2024 campaign. To catch the eye of the LSG team management, the right-handed hitter will aim to score several runs in the forthcoming domestic competitions.
India
