Last Updated on 2 years by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: The big headache LSG management are set to face | Will Lucknow Super Giants drop Kyle Mayers for Quinton de Kock?
Kyle Mayer’s magnificent start to the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) and Quinton de Kock’s arrival has created a headache for Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) management.
The West Indian has been in blistering form to begin the season, smashing 73 (38) and 53 (22) against Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings respectively. All of a sudden, LSG’s overseas combination of Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran and Mark Wood doesn’t look so set, which management required to make a decision with de Kock now available after South Africa’s successful ODI series against Netherlands.
Should the LSG management keep Kyle Mayers in the XI?
Dropping Kyle Mayers would be a risky move. However, leaving out the excellent Quinton de Kock, who recently smashed 100 off 44 balls against West Indies, is also a risk.
Another option would be to bat KL Rahul at three. But, it must be remembered that Rahul and de Kock combined for 1,124 runs in IPL 2022, so LSG may not be willing to break that opening combination with both available.
So, the spotlight is on Marcus Stoinis, who has made a bit of a slow start to the campaign. The all-rounder offers plenty of value in T20 cricket, especially as a finisher. Since the start of 2020, Stoinis has a strike rate of 180.7 between overs 17 and 20 in the IPL. However, with LSG already containing the likes of Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni, plus a number of bowling options, LSG may be tempted to play de Kock and move Mayers down to three.
Possible LSG XI without Marcus Stoinis: 1. KL Rahul (c), 2. Quinton de Kock (OS & wk), 3. Kyle Mayers (OS), 4. Deepak Hooda, 5. Nicholas Pooran (OS), 6. Ayush Badoni, 7. Krunal Pandya, 8. Krishnappa Gotham, 9. Mark Wood (OS), 10. Yash Thakur/Jaydev Unadkat, 11. Ravi Bishnoi
This XI also creates a question around Deepak Hooda’s role. He too has made a slow start to IPL 2023, but moving him down to four isn’t the worst move. In 28 T20s batting at four, Hooda has scored 823 runs at an average of 35.78 and strike rate of 146.18.
LSG have Sunrisers Hyderabad up next, who themselves are looking to bounce back after a thumping defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals. de Kock has scored 372 runs in 11 matches against SRH at an average of 37.20 and strike rate of 130.99, including three fifties.
Given the way SRH’s bowlers started against the Royals, a top three of Rahul, de Kock and Mayers can certainly be very damaging.