IPL 2022: 3 takeaways for the Lucknow Super Giants from their opening contest

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) didn't get off to the best of starts in their debut Indian Premier League (IPL) game. KL Rahul's side faced off against the Gujarat Titans, the other new franchise in the marquee tournament. In a closely fought contest, the Titans chased down a target of 160 to register a five-wicket win.

After being put in to bat first, the Lucknow franchise got off to the worst possible start. Their skipper was dismissed for a golden duck, receiving an unplayable delivery from Mohammed Shami on the very first ball of the contest.

The Indian pacer continued his dream spell, dismissing Quinton de Kock and Manish Pandey in quick succession to leave LSG tottering at 29-4. He ended his spell with figures of 25/3, bagging the player of the match award for his performance and setting the platform for his side's win.

While Hardik Pandya's side took the two points, his best mate Rahul wasn't left too disappointed with the result. In fact, he suggested that there couldn't have been a better start to their IPL 2022 schedule.

With the phenomenal recovery from his side, the skipper looked to take the positives from the game.

"I think it was a phenomenal game. The start wasn't ideal but the way we recovered was phenomenal. We couldn't have started the campaign in a better way. The win would have been great but a lot to learn from this," said Rahul.

It's just the first game of the season, so the positive outlook from the captain is understandable. On that note, let's take a look at three takeaways from the Lucknow Super Giants' first contest in the IPL.

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#1 Lower middle order comes to the rescue

Ayush Badoni (L) and Deepak Hooda (R) scored half-centuries to help LSG to 159

Before the season kicked off, there were plenty of questions about the Lucknow middle-order lacking some firepower. The expectations from the opening partnership of KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock (with Evin Lewis, if you count the top three) were pretty high.

In their first contest at the Wankhede Stadium, the top order was up against some top-class bowling from Shami. While one might have expected Manish Pandey to be the guy to come to their rescue in this situation, he too succumbed to the Indian pacer.

However, Deepak Hooda and Ayush Badoni pulled off a phenomenal recovery to get their side to a decent total. Half-centuries from both players, who have been in good form recently, will be a huge shot in the arm for the LSG side. While Krunal Pandya did a decent job as a finisher, that would still be an area of concern for the IPL debutants.

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#2 New ball options thriving in this IPL

It's been no secret that the pitches in Mumbai help the pacers more than the spinners. Mohammed Shami laid witness to that, producing a dream spell at the Wankhede Stadium in this contest. New bowlers will be a key aspect for most sides this IPL season.

With a below par total on board, the LSG pacers did a fantastic job with the new ball to keep their side in the game. Dushmantha Chameera was the wrecker-in-chief with his rapid spell upfront, dismissing Shubman Gill and Vijay Shankar in his first two overs.

While Avesh Khan failed to create the kind of impact he showed last season, there was enough to suggest that he could form a lethal combination alongside the Sri Lankan. With Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi as notable spin options, there are plenty of bowling options in this side.

The imminent return of Jason Holder will be a massive boost for them. Not only does he add some firepower to the lower-order, the the lanky all-rounder could also be an effective pace option for KL Rahul. The West Indian could be the ideal player to plug a few holes in this side.

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#3 Doubts over KL Rahul's captaincy?

KL Rahul's caliber as a batter is not in doubt, but when it comes to taking on the leadership role, it's not the same for the Karnataka batter. The former Punjab Kings captain's IPL record makes for poor reading. In his last 28 matches as captain, his side has only won 11 games, while losing 15, with two producing no result.

A win percentage of 44% makes for a grim read, not being good enough to get his side to the playoffs on multiple occasions. His inexperience as a white-ball captain has come into the limelight ever since his name came up as a potential successor to Virat Kohli in the Indian team.

Even in his side's first IPL game against Gujarat, Rahul made a few captaincy calls that left a bit to be desired. With two left-handers at the crease, he looked for the tactical advantage and rightly brought in Deepak Hooda for some off-breaks.

The spin trio of Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi and Hooda strangled Wade and Miller before Hooda dismissed the Australian. In between overs 10-15, LSG gave away just 19 runs and took two crucial wickets, seemingly having the game in their bag.

With four overs to spare between Chameera and Avesh, the decision to close out with them would have been rather straightforward. However, with two more left-handers at the crease, the captain gambled on another over with his part-timer, Hooda.

That over ended up costing 22 runs, and ultimately the contest. The momentum completely shifted from there on, with Rahul Tewatia 'pulling a Tewatia' and leading the Gujarat Titans over the line. Eventually, Chameera, LSG's best bowler on the day, didn't finish his quota of four overs.

This isn't the first time concerns have been raised about Rahul's tactical nous and decision making. A similar theme came up when he led the Indian side in their recent white-ball series against South Africa. While inexperience could have played its part, the 29-year old will need to start turning the results in his favour quickly as he looks to lead a new franchise to an IPL title and enter the IPL winners list.